Code Name: Gemcity Red
by ThomGemcity
Summary: MCGIBBS focused with at least mentioned Jimmy/Tony and Leon/Ducky. When Gibbs must seek revenge for a Navy Corpsman and her daughter, he and Tim must go deep undercover into the dark side of a seemingly wonderful organization, but how will Gibbs react to having to open up to Tim? And just how much has he been affected by this case. Warnings: Homosexuality, After finale
1. Acknowledgments

_For Jethro_

 _For Tony_

 _For Ducky_

 _For Abby_

 _For You, The Reader_

 _You've always been there_


	2. Chapter 1

The squad room was quiet today. There wasn't a crime scene to view or a suspect to interrogate. Today, well today was paperwork day. The piles of folders were stacked high around the desks of every team member, and all but one seemed substantially smaller. The white and tan pile of manila folders stacked next to the desk of one Leroy Jethro Gibbs hadn't been touched by the grey-haired man and every agent in the squad room had realized such. Still, as the piles of the surrounding agents, Ellie Bishop, Tim McGee, and Tony Dinozzo shrunk, one team member or another would stand up from their desk, approach the pile, grab a handful of folders and pass them out among the three agents.

It was unlike Gibbs to leave them alone with such a large amount of folders to go through and papers to sign, but this time was different. The last case had been tough on him more than it had the rest of the team. Not only had this case fallen close to the anniversary of the death of his wife and daughter, but the case had not been solved. The organization behind the death of Jenna Henman and her daughter Veronica could not be taken down in one day, especially with the organization's double sided spectrum. On one side 'The Society', a homeless shelter and support group for homosexual members of the military and government was an amazing place of healing and understanding, but for some members of The Society, it was a dark ring of murderers, gang bangers, robbers, and frauds. This time, the dark side of The Society had struck a Navy Corpsman and her daughter, and, with the death of the red-head and her blond child, Gibbs had been struck as well. If it was there was any sign as to how hard this case had struck the never-miss-a-day-of-work, battle-hardened Marine, the man had missed a day of work, two, in fact, and it looked as if a third was being added on, making it the longest the man had ever taken off work since the explosion that had almost cost him his life - even then he was only gone 5 days before Ziva had pulled him back into the office to capture Pinpin Pula, and ultimately leave NCIS for Mexico.

Was this what Gibbs had planned? It was what all of the MCRT feared.

"Where is he?!" The not-so-peppy voice of the team's forensic scientist, Abigail "Abby" Sciuto cried.

"Don't know, Abs." Tony answered while reaching for the "Gibbs Stamp" that McGee had made for occasions such as this. Stamping the form, closing the folder, and tossing it into the 'finished' tub in the center of the four desks, Tony looked up towards Abby.

"Well, you should, Tony! Someone should be at his house checking on him or something! He could be dead or kidnapped!" Abby protested.

At that moment the elevator dinged and out walked the elusive Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and with him came the smell of bourbon and a 5 o'clock shadow that could have rivaled the best of them. He merely glanced toward his desk as he walked by, looking almost lovingly at the depleted pile of folders by his desk. As he walked by the team they acted as if nothing was different, and at some point, as he traversed the floor to the stairs that led to the upper level of NCIS, every member of the team had wished him a good morning. He continued to walk by them, his eyes glazed over but transfixed on a figure on the 2nd story of the building.

NCIS Director Leon Vance watched as Gibbs walked past his team, seeming not to notice them or any one of their greetings. Leon had watched the three agents that worked, lived, and breathed under Agent Gibbs' teaching work hard all morning to finish the paperwork that had been assigned to both them and their boss without complaint, and, to be honest, it irked the man to see a superior ignore the team that would do anything, including lay down their lives for their boss, and each other.

All but Abby did not watch Gibbs ascend the stairs, and after he had entered Director Vance's office, Abby had wished the team good luck and returned to her lab. The three Special Agents continued their work, not even questioning the man's acts, but, instead, they worked at an even faster pace, quickly finishing what was left of the folders. Even as they picked up the 'finished paperwork' tubs to take them down to filing, they couldn't help but wonder what was being said in the office above. What was Gibbs saying? What was Vance saying?! Those two had butted heads over everything, from paint colors to murderers, but this was different. No one, not even Ducky or Tony had seen Gibbs this upset, or should someone even say hurt, and no one, wanted to know what hell Vance was enduring, or would endure, if he wouldn't give Gibbs what he wanted.

-GemcityRed-

"Gibbs, an undercover operation is expensive, and it takes time to plan. Going undercover in The Society is a great idea, I admit that, but unless you have two homosexual men that aren't already a part of The Society, I can't do anything for you. I can't force a man to be with another man!"

"What 'bout one of mine? Tony and Tim are both homosexuals. Why can't they take a hit? God, all I want is to get these guys Leon!" Gibbs exclaimed slamming his hands on Director Vance's desk.

"Then you talk with them, but I'll let you know that Jimmy and Tony are already together, and they are a part of The Society. You're going to have to find someone who is single and not a huge part, if any part at all, of the better side of The Society."

With that, Gibbs flung himself up from the chair and moved towards the door of Vance's office. He knew what he was going to have to do, and it wasn't going to be fun.

"McGee! My conference room now! You too, Tony!" Gibbs screamed as he headed down the stair and towards the elevator, "Now!" He emphasized.

By this time the entire squad room had their eyes fixed to either Gibbs, or one of the two agents he had so coarsely called into the elevator.

Both Tim and Tony were speechless as they entered the elevator, Gibbs had been mad, but never mad enough to call them out so harshly in front of the entirety of the NCIS Squad Room. What had Leon said that had angered Gibbs so much? They guessed they were about to find out.

"Leon won't sign off on an Undercover Op unless one of you, or both of you, can, find a way to get a gay couple into their ranks." Gibbs steamed as he slammed the emergency button on the elevator panel, stopping the elevator in its tracks.

"Boss," Tony tried to calmly say without losing his cool, "Jim and I –"

"I know, Tony! Damn it!" Gibbs looked on the verge of tears, something that had always angered the two agents

"Boss," Tim said while choking back his own tears, "I'll figure something out. I am about to join The Society. I can use Thom E. Gemcity and they won't even assume I'm Tim McGee, Boss."

"And what about one little fact, McGee-" Tony shot-back, "You have no one to go deep six with you."

Tim began to chuckle lightly about the pun when Gibbs eagerly cut in.

"Try to figure something out, I'm going to go speak with Ducky." Gibbs said turning away from the men and with a flip of the emergency switch the elevator roared back to life, releasing the three men back on to the squad room floor.

Exiting the elevator, McGee turned to Dinozzo,"Did he just tell us to try?"

"You're right, Tim. I don't think Gibbs has ever once told us to try, it's always been do – Never try." Tony whispered, even though Gibbs had already reached the other side of the squad room on his way to Ducky's.

"I think it's time we visit Vance – See how he wants me to go about readying the undercover op."

The trip up to Director Vance's office was a long one. Many agents stopped them voicing their disapproval for Gibbs' actions. Tim and Tony knew they meant well, but they didn't understand. They didn't known Agent Gibbs in the way that Tim and Tony did, and, needless to say, the trip was quickly grinding on their nerves.

"He's expecting you." Cynthia, the Director's assistant piped up as Tim and Tony walked past her into Leon's office.

"Not surprised you're here," Leon began as he signed a few papers on the desk in front of him, not even bothering to look up, "I've had three agents so far come up and file a complaint against Agent Gibbs for you, but I am guessing that you're not here to do the same."

"Is it true that you refused to fund a UO in The Society?" Tim stormed.

"Not me Agent McGee but the people who fund us." Leon answered, still not looking up from his paperwork, "You know how low we are on the government food chain."

"The Society would benefit greatly from this, Vance." Tony added, "Myself, Jim, and several other members would readily admit that. There has to be a way that we can get them to donate to this or something."

"And risk one of them leaking the story to anyone on the other side, Dinozzo?"

"I'll pay." Tim jutted out. With this Vance's head jerked up, and Tony's head flew to face McGee.

"What, Probie?!" Tony questioned.

"That's a big statement to make, Special Agent McGee. Are you sure you know what you're saying?" Vance asked, his mouth still wide open from the shock of what Timothy McGee had just said.

"Very sure, Director. I can easily buy a new house for myself and whoever will go under with me. I can afford new furniture, and Thom E. Gemcity could sure use a personal assistant." Tim explained. "All I need is someone to go under with me. Someone who wouldn't be afraid to get personal."

"And why would they have to 'get personal', McGee?" Vance looked sternly at his agent.

"You don't understand, do you Vance?" Tony joined in, "To become a member of The Society there are qualifications that you must meet."

"And what are these _qualifications_ , Agent Dinozzo?" Vance continued.

"You have to have proof you've been together at least 6 months, first. That means you have to come out super publically, or you have to file a 'New Relationship' form with The Society Admin. Next, after you've been together publically at least three months, you have to do a home study. They set-up cameras that watch you do everything, and I do mean _everything_. After all that, you have to go in, and they watch you." Tony tipped his head to the side as to fill in a word he didn't want to say.

"What do you mean they watch you?" Vance said quizzically. "They watch you do what."

"Well, ah, ya know, Director." Tony stuttered, "Th-th-the usual viewing contains somethings that would make a porn star blush."

"Ah, well then." The director blushed, "I understand. I'll see if I can find anyone, but the majority of NCIS, homosexual agents are already a part of The Society, or are going to be completely unwilling to accept that fate."

"You do that, Director, and I will go house shopping. I think I speak for the team when I say all we want is for these sons of bitches to be captured. Anything that upsets Jethro Gibbs this much upsets us all." McGee concluded heading towards the door.

"Thanks again, boys. We'll figure this out and catch these bastards." Leon said, returning to his paperwork.

"Thank you, Sir." The two younger agents added as they exited Leon Vance's office.

"Ready to catch these guys, Tim?" Tony asked as he looked towards McGee.

"More ready to put the boss' mind at ease." Tim said seriously, "It hurt me to see him like this."

"Me too, Tim, me too."


	3. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: We get to see a different side of Gibbs in this chapter, guys!**_

The way Veronica Henman and her mother had been murdered, tortured, and left on the side of the road for all to see had left an imprint on all of them, but not as much as Leroy Jethro Gibbs' reaction had.

 _"_ _Boss?" Tim and Tony called in unison as they sat beside Gibbs in the MCRT van. Gibbs had insisted on driving, but now he was sitting in a daze at green light._

 _"_ _Boss?" Tony repeated pulling Gibbs back from his daydream._

 _"_ _Oh. Ya. Sorry." Gibbs said breathlessly, trying to calm his own breathing which had grown uneven and ragged._

 _"_ _You okay, Boss?" Tim asked pointedly, "You don't look so well."_

 _"_ _I'm fine, Tim." Gibbs answered. He had returned to his usual self, and the truck had begun to move once again._

 _"_ _You want me to drive, Boss?" Tony followed._

 _"_ _I said, 'I'm fine', Dinozzo!"_

 _"_ _Sorry, Boss."_

 _It was at that second that both Tom and Tony turned towards Gibbs, and it was just in time to see a tear fall down his face._

 _"_ _Boss?" Tim said, this time more sympathetically. There was no answer. With this he weighed his odds and continued to talk, this time comforting his superior. "Boss, I can't understand how you must be feeling. I know how much they must have reminded you of Shannon and Kelly."_

 _All Gibbs could do in response was slam his hand on the wheel and drive faster and all that more dangerously until they reached NCIS headquarters._

" ?" A voice came through the fog of his daydream, "Mr. Gemcity, are you ok?"

"Huh?!" Tim jumped back into reality, "What? Oh sorry, didn't mean to daze on you?"

"Thinking up a new story for your next book? " The realtor chuckled.

"I guess you could say that." McGee responded.

"As I was saying," the realtor continued on with a smirk, unfazed by her clients daydreaming, "this house we're heading to has 5 different bedrooms and the same amount of bathrooms, two large living rooms, two large kitchens, and a formal dining room. The backyard is quite large as the house is set on about 20 acres of ranchland and my favorite, a 20 yard, _private,_ beachfront with a pier."

"How about the basement?" Tim asked.

"Being near the ocean, the basement opens up to the pier. It is basically like a huge garage. Not to intrude, but why you ask?"

"Oh, no reason, I have a friend who likes to build things."

"A friend, huh?" The realtor said, her smirk returning, "Holding out on me, huh, Thommy?"

"Charlotte," Tim said in an exasperated chuckle, "He's just a friend."

"Ok, Thom, whatever you say." She laughed and returned her attention to the road.

 _Oh, don't I wish, Charlotte_ Tim thought to himself. If only he could have Leroy Jethro Gibbs all to himself, but he knew he had everything going against his one true wish. First off, he was a man, second, a relationship between the two would be breaking 'Rule # 12', and lastly, and most importantly, he wasn't a redhead, as all of his wives, including Shannon, as well as his mother had been. _If only_ Tim thought once more as Charlotte pulled the car into the driveway of a light blue house- or mansion. _Ya,_ McGee thought, _more like mansion._

"Here she is Thom. She's gorgeous, and quite a bit below your price range." Charlotte chirped, walking to the door.

"I like it. You did say it has a basement?"

"Yep! Basement, pier, gorgeous view of the ocean from the master bacony. Everything you could ever want, Mr. Gemcity."

"I'll take it. I'll give full asking price, and I want to close within the week" Tim said.

"Uh," Charlotte looked at the man she knew as Thom, her eyes wide and her mouth as open as Director Vance's had been when McGee had offered to fund basically the entire undercover operation with his royalties and inheritance, "okay, if you're sure this is the house you want."

"I am."

"This house has actually never been owned, so I have the paper work right here if you want to sign it all now? I must warn you though; being new it has no appliances, just a shower and sink in one bathroom." Charlotte said, still in shock as to what the man had just said.

"I'm totally good with that. Let's do it!"

"Well, okay then." Charlotte's original smile had returned to her face, and she began her small trek down the double staircase/ramp that led up to the front door.

A few hours later after the paperwork had been signed and the house had finally been toured, Thom E. Gemcity was the new proud owner of 1954 Ellis Drive, and he couldn't wait to get back to the office so he could work out the rest of the details regarding the undercover operation.

On his way back to the Navy Yard, McGee got a text. Pressing the 'read text' option on his in-car-panel, he saw a new text from Director Vance, it read 'I think I found someone for the UO. I don't know if you'll like it though.'

"Oh joy." McGee thought out loud, "watch it be the Director or something."

As soon as Agent McGee reached NCIS headquarters he headed up to the Director's office.

"Hey, Cynthia?" McGee said as he pointed to the Director's door. She nodded and waved him in.

"Director?" Vance looked up to McGee's call and greeted him with a smile.

"How are things, McGee?" Vance's smile turned into a smirk, but McGee was too focused to notice.

"Great, Director. I signed on the house, and as soon as I find out who my partner is we can take the rest of the money and paint the house up and put furniture and appliances in it. We'll have to wait a little while before we report a relationship because I think, whomever it I will want some time to adjust. I know I will anyway. How are things on this side?"

"Things are going good, McGee. You can go meet your partner, if you'd like."

"Of course, Director, who is he?"

"You can go find out for yourself, he's down in Miss. Scuito's lab figuring out his new identity."

"Of course, thank you, Director. I'm gonna head down there now." McGee said now intent on meeting his new partner.

"And, Special Agent McGee?"

"Yes, Director?"

"Be easy on your partner, he's not exactly experienced in homosexuality."

"You mean he wasn't gay to begin with?" Tim asked, now slightly concerned.

"No he was not, but Tony said you'd most definitely be willing to- ah- 'show him the ropes' is I think the phrase he used."

"Ah, ok. Thanks, Director" McGee confirmed with a bit more of concern in his voice, this time not missing the obvious smirk that had dawned on Director Vance's face as he turned once again to exit the Director's office.

Once out of the office, Tim made his way to the elevator and pressed the button to head down to Abby's lab. His emotions were a jumbled wreck at the moment. He was happy that he was finally going to make a huge stride towards getting revenge for Jenna and her daughter, and for Gibbs. He was nervous. Who had they chosen to be 'gay-for-a-day' or more like at least a year? If this person was as hard to get along with as some of his already-gay boyfriends had been then he was in for at least a year of hell. He was excited. He was about to be thrown into a relationship with someone who _had_ to love him, even for only a time, and even for a smart man like McGee, who knew that love was more than sex and physical contact, he also knew that he was a man, and that gave him at least a small want for sex.

McGee continued to cycle through his thoughts and emotions until the elevator dinged and opened up into the corridor which led directly in Abby's lab, where the music was still going, loud and strong. He took one last breath to collect himself, let himself out of the elevator and walked quickly into Abby's lab.

"Hey, Abs." Tim greeted, she just smiled and pointed into the other room, which he took as a sign that his new suitor was there.

Walking into the other room, McGee was surprised by what he saw in front of the computer.

"Not what you were expecting, huh, Tim?" Leroy Jethro Gibbs said as he gruffly fumbled around on the computer.

"You're kidding, right boss?" Tim gawked. Now he knew how everyone else had felt with their speechless mouths wide open. He had not expected Leroy Jethro Gibbs to be the one who would go deep six with him. Of course, he didn't mind the fact that he would finally be with the one he had wanted to be with since their first meeting at Norfolk, even if it was only for a time.

"Am I that bad, McGee?" Gibbs said, still gruffly, but with his voice in a slightly lighter tone.

"Uh-uh-ah, of c-c-course n-not, B-Boss, ah-Gibbs, ah-"

"Jet."

"What?" Tim asked, finally able to not stutter through a word.

"My name is Jet." Gibbs said shifting the screen so Tim could see the fake birth certificate. The name read 'Jet Lee Fielding'.

"Fielding, Boss, sorry, Jet? The rest makes sense, but why Fielding?"

"It was Shannon's maiden name." Gibbs' said bleakly going back to typing information in on the birth certificate.

"Oh, sorry." Tim said, sitting himself on the filing cabinet behind his new lover and pulling out his own laptop to work on his own documents.

"Tim?" Jet asked after about ten minutes.

"Yeah, Jet." He responded, the name still sounding awkward on his lips.

"Can you help me here, I can figure out how to get into my rap sheet."

"Ooo, a criminal, huh?" McGee laughed.

"Yeah," answered Gibbs, "just in case they decide to check on my past before I can go deep with them."

"That is a really good idea, Boss – or, Jet. Sorry, I guess I'm gonna have to get used to calling you something other than Boss."

Gibbs nodded.

"There ya go – Jet. Now you can go on and create your criminal career." McGee said with a smile.

"Thanks, McGee. What you workin' on?"

"Same thing as you, of course. I need all of the same information as you do – Birth certificate, driver's license, all of that stuff. Luckily, a lot of my information is already in place due to all the books and stuff."

"Ah." Gibbs noised, placing his mind back into the information at hand. He knew that this was a big undertaking, and he was ready to get to work. He would never admit how hard this case had been on him, at least not outwardly. He had kept up his conversations with the only person who really knew how much the case of the Henmans had affected him, Ducky, and that was the only person he was going to talk to. No one else, he reasoned, should have to share in his pain. The pain of the guilt he had over not being able to save Kelly and Shannon. The guilt he had over not being a good father, husband, man, or, in his mind, a good Marine. Now here he was setting himself up to finally get revenge for the pain that The Anti-Society, as Tony was now calling them, had caused, but that came at a price. It came at the price of his own dignity and privacy – something he had kept sacred long before he had joined NIS, but it would be worth it.

Gibbs tried to clear his mind as he continued to work. Thankfully, not twenty minutes later, both his and Tim's new birth certificate, social security cards, ID's and everything else that was needed had been sent to Abby's computer, and she was now tirelessly working at printing and properly documenting every single piece of information.

"I guess I'll see ya tomorrow?" McGee asked once they had entered the elevator.

"Yah, I guess." Gibbs said, almost sheepishly, "What's the address of the place?"

"Well, actually, we need to get furniture, so I was guessing we'd take a moving van to IKEA and pickup furniture. Maybe we could even stop by the hardware store and pick out paint colors and floor stuff. I kinda waited to do anything to the house until I knew who was going to be in it. I don't feel it right making every decision when you're gonna be living there too."

Gibbs gave a small smile, "Oh, thanks, Tim." He said in a weird kind tone as the elevator opened into the squad room which was almost empty as it was almost 10 PM.

After gathering their things, both men headed towards the elevator that led to the parking garage. Once there, the men said their good-byes and agreed to meet at Gibbs' place in the morning. With that, they both headed home and prepared themselves for the life changing day that was coming up for them.

 _ **Author's Note: Thank you all for everything! Your reviews have already added a few more aspects to Gemcity Red.**_


	4. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note: We get to see just a tiny bit of what this case has done to Leroy Jethro Gibbs - Just saying I cried writing this chapter, Thom**_

Tim McGee couldn't sleep. He looked over to the clock - 2:47 in the morning. The current events kept floating through his mind. Gibbs had seemed happy about their future situation – too happy. McGee worried that Gibbs was never going to actually be happy in this situation. In all truth, Tim was preparing himself for hell.

"Well," the young man said to himself, "2:47, as good a time as ever to get up and get ready."

With that McGee pushed himself off the floor of his new house. Jethro, the dog, moved with him, following him to the bathroom. He didn't know why he had stayed here, but it had allowed him to set up the internet and a few of his things. After taking a shower and shaving, McGee walked to his car and grabbed his typewriter case, and sitting himself in the first living room, he began to type the next chapter of his second book, _Deep Six: The Continuing Adventures of LJ Tibbs._

As always, Tim delved into the world of LJ Tibbs, Agent Thommy, Amy, and McGreggor. He thought of this book more telling into their lives than the first book had been because in this book, Lisa would die and be replaced by someone who would represent Ellie – Eliza. She would be blond, married, funny, and a double agent for NCIS into the NSA, whose mole was the main 'villain' in the second book.

After some time, Tim looked up, and suddenly realized that the sun was beginning to peak in through the windows. He glanced at his watch. It read 6:30. He jumped up and went to the bedroom to change into a suit, then into a T-shirt and jeans, then, finally, into a button-down shirt and black dress-slacks. It felt like he was a teenage boy again. Whether he had been going out with a guy or girl, he had always felt super anxious on the first date, but this wasn't a date – It was UO prep. It wasn't permanent, and Tim had to keep reminding himself such.

By the time Tim – now looking extremely different than he normally did, with a Bluetooth, expensive watch, and glasses – left the beach house, it was 7 AM. He headed towards NCIS, an almost 2 hour drive, and by the time he got there it was almost 9:30.

"Hey, Abbs!" McGee said as he entered the Bull Pen, "In a hurry here, so where are the-"

"Two birth certs, two professional Maryland ID's , two social security cards, and anything else you'll need."

"Thanks, Abs." McGee said breathlessly, running back to the elevator, heading to the parking garage and setting off towards Gibbs' house.

"Be careful with my Silver Fox, Tim!" Abby yelled from near Tim's desk as he ran. He gave her a nod and two-fingered salute in return.

The fifteen minute drive to Gibbs' place felt more like a year had passed by. How was Gibbs going to react to his world being flipped upside down? Had he even willingly sacrificed himself, or did his revenge make sleeping with Tim look like nothing compared to the joy of seeing The Anti-Society go down?

Tim tried to gather himself as he turned onto Gibbs' street. He parked in front of Jet's house, and took a deep breath. He seemed to be doing a lot of that these days.

 _Should I knock?_ Tim wondered to himself as he began to exit his Suburban, the largest of the three cars he owned. He had only made it halfway to the door when Jet opened the door, equipped with two suitcases, and a duffel bag.

"Want some help, Jet?" McGee asked as he made his way towards the man, who was wearing a hooded sweat shirt with the hood over his head.

"Mph." He grunted, handing Tim the larger of the two suitcases, which Tim laced in the back of Gibbs' crew cab truck.

"Uh," McGee noised, noticing his superior's obvious discomfort, "I was planning on heading to IKEA first, Jet."

"What in the hell is IKEA, Tim?!" Gibbs practically screamed.

"Ah, it's a Scandinavian furniture chain. It sells furniture. Gotta be careful when assembling the stuff though, I recommend using wood glue or something to hold it all together. You see it–"

"McGee!"

"Yes, Boss" Tim tried to hide the sweat that was about to come trailing down his face.

"You're rambling."  
"Oh, sorry, Boss. It's just, I, ah, I, I'm gonna go get the stuff Abbs gave me for you." Tim stammered, heading back to his Suburban and grabbing the folder of all the official documents for Jet Fielding.

"Here, Jet." Tim handed over the folder, keeping his head down.

"Thanks, what is it, Thom, right."

"Yep, Thom Edison Gemcity." McGee said, placing his new credit card and ID into his wallet.

"Edison?" Gibbs said jerking his head up in a smirk forcing the hood of the sweatshirt back, revealing his hair which was now black and grey with subtle grey roots.

"I don't know if you should be making fun of me, Jet." Tim said holding back his laughter, "With that hair and all."

Gibbs ignored the comment with a small smile and slammed the back door of the truck.

"You lead the way, Thom." Gibbs said, his annoyance and aggravation somehow returning with no rhyme or reason in less than a second.

The drive wasn't that long. It had only taken fifteen minutes for the two to reach the superstore, and for it being Friday, the store was surprisingly almost empty.

Tim drove into the parking structure and pulled up alongside Tony's truck, Ellie's Truck and Ducky's Morgan. Gibbs pulled up right beside him.

"Morning, Boss!" Tony chirped. "And oh my God, the hair, though I must say you look quite handsome if I do say so myself!"

"Not, 'Boss' here, Tony. It's Jet, and he's Thom." Gibbs said pointing to Tim over his shoulder to McGee. "And the hair is strictly for the UO."

"Ready to explore the world of cheap furniture, Jet?" Ducky asked.

"I guess." Gibbs sighed, "Why are you all here, anyway? I don't think it takes this many people to go furniture shopping."

"But, Jet," Ellie followed, "It does take about this many people to transport an entire house full of furniture."

"I thought we were taking trips to and from the new house?" Gibbs queried turning towards McGee.

"Trips from Ellie's to the house, Jet, not from here to the house – to much time and gas we can't waste."  
"Ah, ok. Good idea." Gibbs agreed, "Thom, are we, you know, already, you know –"  
"Dating?" Tony finished, earning himself a stern look from Gibbs.

"Ya. I guess that's what you could call it." Gibbs said reluctantly.

"We don't have to be, Jet. We don't have to be until you're comfortable." McGee said lovingly and calmly.

"Ah, ok, thanks, Thom." Gibbs nodded, and with that the gang walked into the IKEA.

The trip went swimmingly, and soon they had bought an entire house of furniture and some appliances, and now the only thing that the new couple needed was paint, tile for the bathroom and kitchen, new flooring, and the various supplies that would be needed to make the brand new house come together.

"God, Thom, why'd you have to go and buy a barebones house?" Tony complained, "I don't even think we'll be able to fit this all in one trip. Ducky is going to have to stay and watch the other stuff."

"I'd be glad to wait, Anthony." Ducky chimed, "Vance said he could come by and pick up the rest of the furniture and drop it off at Eleanor's."  
"Thanks, Ducky." McGee said, patting the good doctor on the back, "That would allow Jet and I to leave a few things here so we could go pick up some cans of paint, the tile, and the hardwood floors."

"It's only noon, Thom." Gibbs said from the driver's seat of his truck, "If we can get the new bathroom appliances too, I'd probably be able to at least install a few of them."

"Alright, I guess we could go drop this off at the house, Jet. Then we can go to Lowe's and pick up the rest of the stuff."

"Works for me, Thom." Gibbs gruffed, looking tired, and still acting annoyed and increasingly aggravated, "I'm gonna go make sure everything is loaded down on the truck. Then we can go." With that Gibbs headed towards his truck and McGee turned to Ellie and Tony.

"How are we doing on Jet's surprise?" McGee whispered.

"Jake, Jimmy and Fornell are gathering every tool they can from his basement." Ellie whispered back, "Apparently, Agent Fornell knows how to transport the boat, so hopefully it will be there by the time you get back from getting the rest of the stuff."

"Alright." McGee sighed, "Hopefully he isn't upset." Just as he finished his sentence, he heard Gibbs' truck roar to life.

Taking that as his que, Tim jumped into the Suburban and pulled out in front of his boss' truck.

Tim was surprised at how fast the trip back to the house felt, and was surprised when he looked down at the clock and noticed the trip had lasted almost two and a half hours.

Behind Tim's Suburban, Gibbs sat in silence. He tried to control his anger, but soon he found himself beating on the steering wheel. Tears quickly began to fall down his tanned cheeks, making his anger grow. He had no right to cry. Crying meant he was weak, and if he was weak there was no way that he would ever avenge the Henman's or his own family. No, there was no question; Leroy Jethro Gibbs couldn't be weak.

By the time the two cars pulled up to 1954 Ellis Drive, it was almost three o'clock. Tim clicked the garage opener that he had already programmed into the overhead console and the garage door moved up into an open position, revealing the eight car garage.

Gibbs pulled up next to Tim, his mouth agape. Tim couldn't help but laugh at the sight that he had seen so much over the past few days.

"Dang, kid." Gibbs gawked.

"When we get home, I'll give you the master tour. If you want to start unloading the truck, I've gotta go check on Jethro."

"Jethro?" Gibbs looked strangely at him.

"The German Shepard – remember, we cleared him of murder."  
"So why do you have him, and why in the hell is he named Jethro."

"Abby named him Jethro, remember? Then she made me adopt him so she could see him whenever she wanted."

"Ah," Gibbs nodded, "alright, you check on the dog, and I'll get started here."

With Jethro checked on, fed, and watered, Tim headed out to help unload the car. As he rounded the corner he couldn't help to blush at the sight of Jet lifting what looked like a heavy box. His salt and pepper hair and muscles clearly flexing through his grey t-shirt caused Tim to blush, but he quickly cleared his mind and got to helping Jet clear out both trucks, hoping Fornell, Jake, and Jimmy didn't show up with Jet's surprise until after they left.

It didn't take long for the men to clear out both the truck and suburban, and by 3:45 they were back on the road with both cars headed towards the nearest hardware store. About twenty minutes into the drive, McGee saw a flatbed with an object covered with several tarps headed down the road, and he knew Gibbs' surprise would be waiting when he got back.

The visit to the hardware store was just as McGee thought it would be, and he finally got a taste of how hard life was going to be with Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Every paint color was debated, every tile texture examined, and the wood thoroughly investigated by the former Marine. After almost two hours, Thom and Jet finally exited the store.

"I don't know why you didn't get one of these things, Thom. It's amazing." Jet said as he scarfed down a $0.99 burrito.

"Because I don't want food poisoning." Tim said with a smirk and a glance.

"Don't get sick." Gibbs said in a jokingly snide manner as he made his way his truck which was filled with paint cans and tile inside two bath tubs, inside of a large Jacuzzi bath that Tim had thought would fit perfectly in the master bathroom next to the walk-in shower with several different sprayers coming from different directions. Gibbs thought that it was a bit outlandish, but he knew that in the end this was going to be McGee's house – well, mansion – and he was getting the privilege to stay in it. McGee had even bought him a exquisite grill

Eating the last bit of his burrito, Jet climbed into his truck, and they were off.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: Thank you all for being so welcoming and helping me keep things straight. I want to keep you in the loop so I'm going to explain the way I write. I like to leave little plot holes that I fill in later - I find it keeps people reading. If you see a plot hole, feel free to pm me about it. I normally keep track of my holes, but some times, rarely, I miss one. - Thanks, Thom**_

McGee was hoping that his surprise was complete and ready for Jet when they arrived home, and he was praying that his boss would appreciate the gesture and not hate his agent for the entirety of this UO.

It was almost 7 o'clock by the time that both men pulled into the driveway, and it was almost 8 by the time everything from the cars and the cars themselves had been loaded into the garage.

"Ready for the tour, Jet?" Thom asked, locking up the house as he entered and trying to keep his mind from sleep.

"Ya, let's do it," Yawned Jet, "then maybe I can install a few things."

"That'll work," Thom smiled, opening the door that led from the garage to the laundry room "and I can order some dinner if you'd like. I also want to see if I can paint the master bedroom so I can set up your bed."

"My bed?" Jet questioned.

"I didn't think you'd be comfortable in my bed just yet, so I made sure you'd have your own master bedroom until you were ready to sleep with me." McGee smiled, and his smile was returned with one from Gibbs, who was beginning to awe at how much his junior agent was providing for his comfort, even if they were both practically being forced into the situation.

"Up these stairs is one of the kitchens, both living rooms and one bathroom," McGee started, instantly noticing the surprised look that flashed, if only for a moment, across Jet's face, "The front porch is here to the left, as is two different exits onto the back part of the property."

"How close is the ocean?" Gibbs asked, trying not to imply his boat making. It was the one thing Gibbs knew he'd miss. Maybe he could survive being cooped up with Tim, and maybe he'd even be able to survive making love to the man, but he didn't know how he'd survive without having someplace to run when things got too intense for him. He knew without somewhere for him to vent his frustrations, this UO was going to be trying for both of them.

By the time Jet came out of the conversation he was having with himself in his head, Tim had finished mapping the place out to him, and they were now moving up to the second floor. Obviously, he had missed McGee's answer.

"I won't go into too much detail up here," Thom said, too anxious to get down to the basement and show Gibbs his surprise, "but there is a bathroom right there – not like it has any appliances or anything."

Gibbs nodded in response, a nagging feeling in his gut keeping him occupied.

"Up the stairs we go again." Thom exasperated as he climbed the last flight of stairs, "This, up here, is the last floor. The master bedroom and the larger of the two balconies is right through that door, and the only bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower is through that one."

"So that is our bedroom?" Gibbs asked, pointing to the door that lead to the master.

"Yep," McGee said, taking a breath, "and there is one more place I'd like to show you. Follow me."

McGee turned himself around and headed back down the three flights of stairs to the laundry room.

"Here we go, Jet," McGee said, "I hope you don't mind, but I haven't been totally open with you."

"What do you mean, Thom?" Jet said, his voice growing stern.

"Well," Thom sighed, "Tony and I thought that you'd miss you're basement with your boat and all, and we know that your basement is you escape from the stress of the job."

"Yeah, so?" Gibbs said, his face relaxing slightly. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but maybe, just maybe, McGee was going to show him a basement. A basement meant he could construct a new boat.

"Well," Tim said, placing his hand on the door knob and twisting, "while we were shopping today, Agent Fornell, Jake, and Jimmy were working on this for you." He opened the door revealing Gibbs' boat, several work benches and boxes of tools.

McGee turned to face Gibbs who was speechless, but, as always, he didn't seem to portray whether he was happy or upset with his new lover's little surprise.

"Fornell was extra careful getting it out of the basement, however he did it." McGee consoled the man who had yet to say a word but was now circling his boat, examining it, "And he examined it when the put it in here and made sure everything was to perfection."

After about five minutes of silence, Gibbs seemed to finish examining his boat. He couldn't believe that his agents – no, his friends – had gone to the trouble of somehow moving his boat. Someone he didn't even know had gone to the trouble of putting up with Fornell and Palmer to move his boat, his tools, and various other things. Tobias had even brought his bottle of bourbon with a note that read: _Welcome to the club, Jethro. Congrats._ The one thing he knew he was going to miss, and it was here. Tears in his eyes, he turned back towards Tim.

"I- I-" Tim stuttered, "Is – is it ok?"

Gibbs placed his hands on his shoulders and let a single tear drop from his left eye.

"Thank you, Tim. Thank you so much." Gibbs said before turning to walk around the basement again.

"Ah," Tim couldn't contain his smile, "you can organize everything out here for a while. I'm gonna go put flooring, paint, tile, and anything else I can move where it needs to go."

"Ah, Tim," Jet said, purposefully calling him by his real name, "I can't let you do that. I gotta help some."

"You," Tim said, his voice smooth and low, almost at a whisper, "can help me by sorting out this basement. There are tools next to the boxes and in some of those boxes there are shelves and organizers and such. When you're done you can come and find me. I'll probably be painting our room, then the master bath attached." Tim waited for a response, but Jet had already engrossed himself into his new project.

With a smile, Tim turned around and began the tedious process of placing everything where it needed to go. Sorting out paint, tile, and flooring hadn't taken long, and Tim had received an extra boost of encouragement every time he had walked past the door that lead to the basement and heard the bang of a hammer or the clink of nails and screws.

It hadn't even been an hour by the time Thom had moved everything to the rooms they needed to be in. He had even moved the toilet up into the master bathroom, albeit slowly, and without the help of Jet, he had installed it correctly! Excited, McGee ran downstairs and almost immediately noticed that no sound came from the basement. Slowly, he opened the door and revealed Jet, sleeping, and shivering, on the palettes that his boat sat on.

"Aww." McGee whispered, closing the door. He traveled swiftly to the garage and grabbed one of the blankets that the two had bought at IKEA. Quietly entering the room again, he unfurled the blanket and draped it over the shivering body. He was surprised that the man had fallen asleep in the basement that had to be near freezing this early in February, but, he was quickly reminded by the Marine Corps sweat shirt that the man was wearing that this had to be one of the nicer places that former Marine had slept compared to where he had slept in the Corps.

Thom spent a few minutes watching Gibbs, and then he walked quietly around the man's workspace, replacing tools to the spot he knew, from experience, they belonged. After another second of watching the peaceful man sleep, Tim turned around and exited the room, content on spending the rest of the night painting.

 _Ammunition fired from every side of the valley._

 _"_ _Gunny!" Lieutenant Cameron called through the trees. "Gunny can you hear me?"_

 _"_ _I'm here, Lieutenant!" Leroy Jethro Gibbs heard himself say. He could see himself, fully decked out in his Marine Corps issued BDUs crawling through the jungles of Panama._

 _"_ _You, need to see this, Gunny! Come quick!" His C.O. Will Ryan called through the trees. Gunnery Sargent Gibbs climbed through the trees, transporting his older self with him._

 _Through the trees lay a small clearing and a mangled car sat in the middle of the grassy meadow. Both the Gunny and Gibbs approached the car. Two older women and two young girls lay in a bloodied heap, almost unrecognizable._

 _"_ _Jethro?" One of the women moaned. He knew that voice, and now her face instantly became clear – Shannon._

 _"_ _Shan." Both man said in unison._

 _"_ _Jethro?" She said, her voice growing dim, "Why couldn't you save me?"_

Jet shot up barely missing hitting the boat with his head. Suddenly he felt sick – he was going to throw up, and soon.

Untangling himself from his blanket, Jet flung himself up from the palettes, but this time he didn't miss the skeleton of the boat which sent him right back to his bottom.

Still reeling from the whack to the head, Jethro got himself carefully to his feet and now he ran.

After he made it up the first flight of stairs, Gibbs was regretting not listening to McGee's tour. The only place he knew was where the larger of the master bedrooms were, so he shot himself up another flight of stairs, and then another.

Tim had gotten into a rhythm while painting the walls, ceiling and trim of the master bedroom. He found it funny that Gibbs had specified that the ceiling had to be white – not off-white, and that if it wasn't the perfect "shade" of white, the elder man would probably have a heart attack. Due to this, Thom had tackled the ceiling first, and then he had placed the mattress in the center of the room so he'd have some place to sleep.

The walls were a cake walk compared to painting the ceiling, and Tim hoped to be fished painting them and asleep by 1:30. With his music playing, Tim continued to work until almost 1:15 when he realized he would have to wait until morning to complete the detailed work around the ceiling so he wouldn't get paint on the newly white ceiling.

Just as he put down the paint roller and turned off his music, Tim heard a large thump and reached to draw his weapon, but he could tell through the hurried footsteps that Jethro was quickly climbing the stairs.

It was only a few more seconds before the man burst through the door. He was sweating, pale, and a bump was already visible where he had hit his head.

"I need a toilet, Tim." Jet panted.

"Through the archway." Tim pointed following closely behind, catching the older man when he fell to the floor, vomiting into the newly installed john.

McGee spent the next few minutes calmly rubbing his superior's back through the spasms that sent him retching into the toilet bowl once again.

After almost ten minutes Gibbs sat himself up, but instantly fell back into Tim's arms, his body aching from the spasms that had consumed his body. Everything hurt, and he couldn't believe he had become so vulnerable in front of this man that he had just begun living with.

"You alright, Jethro?" Tim calmed, combing the newly dyed black hair out of the man's eyes with his fingers.

"Don't know, Tim, what does it look like to you?" Gibbs ripped harshly.

"I don't know, Jet," Tim said, his smile still bright, "to me it looks like you shouldn't have eaten that burrito."

Gibbs dropped his head fully onto McGee's chest as Tim leaned all the way back; both of them knew that it was going to be a long night.


	6. Chapter 5

The vomiting returned with a vengeance not five minutes later, and Tim shot up to come to his friend's aid. Again, he spent the entire time rubbing his back and running his fingers through his hair. At one point during this process, McGee grazed the place where Jethro had slammed his head on his boat, causing Gibbs to wince, and pull his head away from Tim's usually comforting hand.

"What'd you do?" Tim said, his hand returning to the place on Jet's head and moving the hair around to examine it.

"Boat." Jet said hoarsely, his voice taxed from the acid in his vomit, "I slammed my head on it trying to get to a bathroom. "

"Wow, you could have just asked to get out of the op, Boss. You didn't have to go any try to kill yourself." McGee laughed then sighed, "Gonna have to call Duck tomorrow. I don't feel a bump and that could mean you have a fracture or concussion. I don't feel a fracture, but I wouldn't doubt that you have a concussion. "

"Umph." Gibbs grunted, hoisting himself towards the toilet again.

"It's gonna be ok, Jet." Tim kept whispering through the man's black and grey hair into his ear, "We're gonna get through this."

Soon the vomiting transformed into dry-heaves, and McGee would wrap his arms tight around Gibbs when they were through, forcing his head to his chest, which Gibbs found surprisingly comforting. The sound of the younger agent's heart beat gave the Senior Special Agent something to focus on to relieve the nausea until the urge to vomit once again came roaring back. This continued in cycles, from vomiting to dry-heaving and back again.

It was almost four o'clock in the morning when Gibbs had finally been granted enough time in between his spells of vomiting and dry-heaving to get some rest.

The man had quickly fallen asleep leaned up against Tim, who hadn't shut his eyes since the whole ordeal had started. Once he was sure that Jethro had fallen asleep, McGee moved to lift his friend turned lover up. Slowly, he moved Jet to the mattress and covered him with the blanket that he had grabbed for himself. Running to his suitcase, Tim grabbed one of the trash bags he had brought the night before, and he placed it next to the bed. He also grabbed an emergency ice pack and crushed it to release the water inside activating the ingredients and turning the small bag ice cold. Placing it in a sock, he draped it over the place where Gibbs had hit his head.

As soon as he knew Gibbs was comfortable and would be prepared if he woke up with another fit of vomiting or dry-heaves, McGee made his way down the stairs. He made sure all of the doors were locked, and then he checked all of the doors again. Calling Jethro the dog to his side, McGee picked up his typewriter and headed upstairs. The trek gassed the already exhausted Tim, but he was happy to find Jet, still asleep and as peaceful as ever. He knew that in just a few hours Ducky would be awake and available to make a house call to assess his friend's condition. McGee just had to stay awake until then.

 _Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs sat in the back of a C-130_ airplane.

 _"_ _Get ready to jump, boys! We're going in hot!"_

 _"_ _Sir, yes, sir!" The group of Marines yelled as they all stood up and prepared to exit the plane._

 _"_ _Remember your mission, boys! We are to extract civilians – women and children – from an area filled with enemies! The air infantry are already on their way to drop their ordinance, so you best be out of their by the time they arrive. Do you understand me!?"_

 _"_ _Sir, yes, Sir!" The Marines yelled once again, readying themselves for the drop._

 _When it came time, the back of the plane opened up, ready to release the Marines._

 _Each Marine took their turn and jumped from the plane. It was a perfect jump, and Gibbs watched the city below from a couple hundred feet above the ground through his night vision goggles._

 _As soon as he hit the ground, Gibbs was ready. Ammunition was flying directly above his head, but he moved closer to the camp, freeing several civilians and pointing them towards the waiting evac team._

 _Finally, the Gunny and his team had clear the majority of the city, only one prison cell, made from bamboo tied together with vines, remained._

 _"_ _Jethro!" The voice he heard came from the cell._

 _"_ _Daddy!" Another voice, this time that of a little girl – Kelly._

 _"_ _Kelly!" Gibbs, voice sounded frantic, "Kelly, darlin'!"_

 _He finally came to the cell where he saw both Kelly and Shannon tied and most obviously beaten._

 _"_ _Daddy, save us!" Kelly screamed, but over the radio, his C.O. had heart wrenching news._

 _"_ _Gunny, we gotta go! Ordinance is about to drop."_

 _"_ _I can't, sir!" The Gunny screamed into his radio, "We still have civilians in here!"_

 _"_ _Gunny, that is an order! Leave now!"_

 _"_ _Daddy," Kelly's voice cried, "why couldn't you save us?"  
_ It hadn't been but forty-five minutes when Jet had begun to squirm in his sleep.

"Kelly." Gibbs whispered under his breath.

"What, Jet?" Tim asked, coming quietly to the man's side.

"I can't, Sir." Gibbs whimpered.

In a matter of seconds his whimper turned into a full cry. McGee wrapped his arms around Jet just in time to feel him snap up with a scream.

"Kelly!" Gibbs screamed, his eyes wide open and pupil's dilated.

"Shh, Jet," Tim soothed, his arms still wrapped around the shaking figure, "It was just a nightmare."

Jet's eyes met Thom's, and it amazed Thom how vulnerable the man looked.

The look in Gibbs' eyes soon turned to a look of panic as Jet sprung up from the mattress and ran towards the bathroom. McGee ran after him trash bag in tow, and once again, he was right on time to catch the vomit that came flying out of Jet's mouth as he sat on the toilet. Grabbing the original box that the toilet had arrived in, Tim staged the trash bag so he didn't have to hold it. Once that was done, he took to comforting _his_ Marine. McGee didn't know what had caused this sudden surge in protectiveness over the former Marine, but he had a feeling it had something to do with his lack of sleep and food, as well as his surging libido.

By the time the clock hit 6 o'clock, Gibbs was trying not to fall asleep on the toilet, and Tim was still holding vigil at his side. Tim had tried to hydrate the Marine with the bottled water he had, but it wasn't any bit successful. Gibbs was getting annoyed with everything from his sickness to his caretaker.

"You don't need to call Ducky, Tim." Gibbs gruffed, his throat hurt and even breathing had become extremely painful.

"Leroy," Tim said, having resorted to using his first name about half an hour ago, "we need Ducky. You need Ducky! You're temp is obviously high," he continued, once again checking his superior's temperature by placing his lips to his forehead, "Your throwing up, you can't keep down water, you have diarrhea which will continue to dehydrate you until you can hold down said water, and to top it all off, you probably have a concussion which will be complicated by all your other symptoms."

The only response he received was a glare which he bravely shot right back to his boss.

"Call Ducky." Gibbs grunted, beginning to retch again.

"Thank you." Tim said simply, returning to Jet's side and kneeling by him so he could rest his head on his shoulder and pulling out his phone.

"Leon." Director Vance answered the phone.

"Oh," McGee sounded shocked, "I'm sorry Director I must have hit the wrong number. I was trying to reach Ducky."

"You didn't." The Director said straightly, "He's not awake yet."  
"Oh," Tim tried not to stutter, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you both, but Gibbs needs Doctor Mallard, like now."  
"Don, wake up." McGee heard over the speaker, "Agent McGee is on the phone – says Jethro needs you."

"Yes, Timothy?" Ducky said, his voice still in a cover of fatigue.

"The Boss needs you, Duck." McGee said rubbing Jet's back through another retching spell, "He has possible concussion, made worse by food poisoning, and he hasn't been too hot – or should I say he hasn't been to cold."

"Except for the fact I'm freezing, McGee!" Gibbs yelled through the speaker.

"Oh," Ducky gasped, sounding alarmed, "I'll be over there as soon as possible. I might grab Jimmy as well, maybe Tony. I know you have all that furniture to move around, maybe they can help."

"That'd be awesome, Ducky, I have a feeling Jethro is going to be out for a while." McGee stated, earning himself another glare from Gibbs which Tim returned.

McGee had never been so relieved to hear a knock at the door, but, as quickly as possible Tim made his way down to the front door, unlocked it then turned around and headed back upstairs as fast as he could.

"What's with the fast turnaround, McSpeedy?" Dinozzo laughed at McGee, who was already too far up the stairs to hear his friend's joke.

"Anthony?" Ducky said with a slight smirk.

"Yeah, Duck?"

"How fast would you be moving if it was Jimmy sick up there." Duck said with a bright smile as he headed up the stairs, "You might want to take the truck and go see if you can pick up anything from Ellie's for these two boys."

"Will do." Chirped Tony.

"Yes, sir." Answered Jimmy.

"Of course, Love." Leon said, running up to Ducky and kissing his cheek.

Ducky made it up the stairs in his own due time, but what awaited him in the master bathroom made the long trip up more than worth it.

"Here he is, Duck." McGee tried to smile, but his face contorted into a yawn, "He wants to move to the bed, but that's been an endeavor."

"Well," The good doctor pondered, "Let's figure out a way to move him, Timothy."

"Could Jimmy, Tony or Vance help us?"

"I sent them to Ellie's to pick up some of your furniture." Ducky said, placing one are under Gibbs' shoulder, "Now are you going to help me, Agent McGee?"

"Yep, but if we're gonna move him this way, I think I have a bit of a less humiliating and a bit more safe way to do so."

"If so, Timothy, move away." The doctor said moving out of the way.

"Here we go, Jet." Tim smiled, lifting the man and pulling up his pants up.

"Umphgggggggg." Gibbs grunted painfully through gritted teeth.

"It's alright, Jet. Let me take control, I did this while you were sleeping earlier this morning." Tim soothed His hand finding their place under Jet's knees and his other hand wrapping securely around the man's shoulders.

With a trusting look Gibbs nodded, and McGee thrusted his arms up, taking Jet off his feet.

"Well, Tim," Jet laughed roughly trying not to show the pain in his face, "I always thought I'd be the one sweeping you off your feet."

"Jethro," Tim said, trying his best to sound wise, "You can't sweep other people off their feet, if you can't be swept off your own."

Gibbs smiled lightly and put his head into McGee's shoulder as the younger man carried him into the other room and sent him gently on the mattress.

"I'll be right back." Time said as soon as he had laid the man on the mattress. "I'm gonna go get some water for him and myself. Can I get you anything, Ducky?"

"A bottle of water would be great, Timothy." Ducky said as McGee walked out of the room with a nod.

As soon as Jet was sure Tim was out of ear shot he turned sternly to Ducky.

"Duck," he said with a prominent rasp in his voice, "the nightmares, they're back."


	7. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note: Here is a little more about The Society. My two betas said it was good, but to be honest it just feels a little choppy to me so I apologize. There is also a bit on how Jethro is really feeling in this chapter. Enjoy, Thom**_

It was seven o'clock when Colonel Richard Flannigan and his husband, Senator Marc Flannigan walked into Society Headquarters.

"Good Morning, Sirs!" Marcy Hooper, the secretary popped up out of her seat to greet the men.

"Morning, Marcy!" The men said in unison.

"See you, Love." Marc said, kissing the Colonel on the cheek and walking to the elevator.

Richard Flannigan entered his office with a smile.

"Marcy?" He said, pressing the button linking him to his secretary's Bluetooth.

"Yes, sir?" Her voice came through the speaker on his desk.

"Can you send my first appointment in here."

"He's one his way, Sir."

"Thanks, Marcy." Colonel Flannigan said as his office door opened.

"Colonel," Tobias Fornell smiled, "how are you today?"

"Toby! How are you doing, Brother?"

"Things are good down in Washington, but I heard it is a little different up here in New York."  
"Yes," The Colonel said with a concerned sigh, "I heard about Jenna and Veronica."

"A sad story indeed." Tobias said, placing himself in a chair.

"I agree, Tobias, but I'm more worried about our current situation."

"What do you mean, Bob? I wasn't aware of anything."

"You know The Society's views, Tobias. I created this place for people, especially those who sexuality could threaten their lives and livelihood, but that doesn't mean that everyone we have helped doesn't have a past to hide. We vet everyone that comes into this organization, but some people have learned to break our system, even with some of the brightest minds in security and technology on our team. We are trying to maintain an air of calm among all the branches of The Society, but I bet you can guess what the unresolved death of a lesbian petty officer and her daughter has done to our organization."

"I understand, Bob, but there isn't much I can do. I can ensure you the FBI and many other organizations are working to get to the bottom of this."

"Toby," The Colonel scrubbed his face with his hand, "do you think someone under my control could be responsible for this?"

"I can't conclude anything right now, but I can assure you that we will get to the bottom of it, Sir."

"I'm glad, Tobias, even if it turns out to be one of my own."

"All we can ask of you is to continue going through your budget and personnel lists to see if you can find any misstep that anyone could have taken."

"I have already done that, Tobias. We're a non-profit, the majority of our money comes from donations and is put directly into a large fund which anyone can draw from after their purpose has been vetted."

"All I can say, Colonel," Tobias said, moving to exit the room, "Is 'check again'."

Exiting the elevator, Marc entered his office where two men were already waiting for him.

"Hey, Chris, Layn."

"Boss." The men greeted.

"What have we got on our plate today, boys?" Marc asked.

"Well, Boss, we have four different shipments coming in from Mexico and Brazil today, and news from the top says that we have been cleared from any involvement in the Henman's deaths, Sir." Layn answered.

"I heard," Marc smirked, "Robert seemed quite relieved."

"So you think he suspects anything, Boss?" Chris asked.

"I don't believe so, boys." Marc smiled, "Now who thinks we have time this morning for a quick – _break._ "

"Boss," Chris said, a look of concern across his face, "Do you think it's a good idea to be messing around? You know, so close after the investigation that almost ratted us."

"I don't know, Chris." Marc said sternly, pulling his Glock, equipped with a silencer out from behind his back, "Is it a good idea? Is it a good idea, Layn?"

"Sex is always a good idea, Boss." Layn answered, his voice unwavering.

"That is what I thought. How 'bout you, Chris?" Marc asked, taking his weapon and placing the muzzle of the silencer on his head.

"Boss," Chris said, his voice and body tensing, "I didn't mean it that way. It's just –"

The sound of a silenced gun was all that could be heard.

"Clean this up, Layn. Then come and find me." Marc smirked with a look of lust at his minion. "And if anyone asks what happened," Marc continued, "tell them our dear Chris decided to quit."

"Yes, Sir." Layn answered and got to work on cleaning up the body and the mess that the bullet to the head had caused.

-GemcityRed-

"What do you mean the nightmares have returned, Jethro?" Ducky asked, the concern evident on his face.

"The dreams. The dreams about Kelly and Shannon – I've had two in the last twelve hours." Gibbs said, his voice in a gruff silent whisper.

"It could be due to the sickness," Ducky explained in a whisper, "or it could be due to stress – Maybe you haven't seen how much stress you've been under the last week, Jethro."

"I know what could be causing it, but how do I fix it. The last thing I need is McGee finding out about this."

"Why would Timothy finding out about this be such a big issue? He is probably the best one to help you through this. In case you haven't noticed, the boy has been up all night holding you, and I am hoping you know about what he and Anthony did with your boat."

"I know, Duck, but I am already struggling to keep my anger at bay over this situation. I-"

"What situation, Jethro?!" Ducky interrupted, "What situation has caused to feel such anger and not be able to express it to poor Timothy."

"Well, gee, Duck," Jet's said sarcastically, "I wonder. Maybe it's the fact that a woman and child were killed. Maybe it's the fact that, to catch their killer, I have to undercover in the most uncomfortable situation I have been in since I found out Jen was the new director, and, ya know, maybe it's the fact that not two weeks before the anniversary of the death of Shannon and Kelly, I get to learn how make love to a man, Duck. You choose whichever one you like!" Jet snarled, his anger growing more intense.

"Uh, Jethro."

"What, Duck!?" Gibbs screamed his anger still intense.

Ducky nodded towards the doorway where Tim stood, his face ashen.

"Tim." Gibbs said, his anger gone, but his body and mind struggling not to succumb to sleep.

"It's fine, Boss." Tim said, returning to his sick comrade's side as the man slipped back into a deep sleep.

"Tim." Ducky said, as if he was feeling the pain that Tim was feeling.

"It's really ok, Ducky." Tim swept the hair from in front of Jet's eyes, "I just wish he would have told me. I could have at least tried to make something better."

"To be honest with you, Timothy, I believe this has a lot to do with our Jethro being sick and not a lot to do with your ability to make things better or worse."

"Why do you say that, Ducky?"

"How many times do you presume your Special Agent Gibbs has been sick in your tenure at NCIS?"

"Other than being wounded, never."

"I can name at least twice in the last year where he has been so sick that he was constantly vomiting or so stuffed up that he could barely breathe." Ducky said pointedly.

"Then how have we not seen it, Duck? It must be almost impossible to hide those symptoms from someone who sees you for an hour, never the less sixteen."

"Very true, Agent McGee, but our Jethro here is a good actor. Do you remember that case where the bear ate the mountain lion that had eaten the remains of Corporal Johnathan Stuntan?"

"Who could forget?" Tim said, visibly shivering at the thought.

"Jethro had the flu."

"There is no way, Ducky!" Tim almost laughed, "He chased down that suspect faster than Tony or I, with a bad knee. He couldn't have been sick."

"The moment he got back, I found him vomiting into a trash can. I told him that he could trust you three to protect him, but he didn't want to seem vulnerable in front of you."

"Woah. The boss is tough, but I didn't know he was that tough." Tim said amazed, badly masking his anger in front of Ducky.

"Not many realize just how resilient this man is." Duck said, moving around Jet's hair to examine his head.

Gibbs visibly jerked when Ducky pressed down lightly on the part of his head that had made contact with the boat, but he seemed to remain asleep.

"No fracture, as you said, Timothy, but I believe he might have a mild concussion. Rest will do him good, but I don't know the food poisoning will affect that."

"He's been up almost all night, Ducky, and he only slept for about forty-five minutes before the nightmare woke him up." Tim said, obviously concerned, "I don't know how much longer this thing will last, but I hope it's not long."

"The normal bout of food poisoning can last about 24 hours from when the food was ingested."  
"Well, it's been about twelve hours," Tim sighed, "so you're saying he probably has about twelve or so hours to go."

"Sadly, yes, Timothy." Ducky said, packing his medical kit away, "I feel sorry for you?"

"Why's that, Duck?" Tim laughed.

"Because," Ducky said, his sternness still evident, "not even I can keep Gibbs down – no matter how sick he is."

From the room McGee heard the front door open and heard Tony yell from the bottom of the stairs.

"Well, I guess it is time to go greet your furniture movers." Duck said, getting up from the side of the mattress.

"What about Leroy?" McGee said, coming to help Dicky up.

"Don't worry, I gave him a sedative while he was – _ranting._ Anyway, it should keep him out for a few hours, at least until about noon. I suggest you try to get some rest as well, Timothy."

"I'll try, Duck, but I can't promise anything." Tim smiled looking over the figure laid out on the mattress.

"You sound just like Jethro." Ducky sighed, but a smirk had found its way to his face.

Once McGee and Ducky had reached the bottom of the stairs, Tony, Vance and Jimmy were eager to show their handy work.

"We almost got everything, Timmy!" Dinozzo smiled, giddy as an adolescent that had finally had sex.

"The only thing we didn't get was the flat screen TVs. We didn't want them getting scuffed up with all the other boxes." Jimmy added, just as giddy as Tony.

"Thanks, guys." Tim said, relieved that something was going right.

"Well, boys," Vance spoke as he approached his lover, "I think, if Donald is done –"

"Which I am." Ducky said yawning.

"Then I believe we will go enjoy our Saturday off." Vance saluted the men and opened the door for Ducky. As he walked out he gave the men a smile and closed the door behind him.

"So how's the boss, McCaretaker?" Dinozzo asked.  
"He is resting. Ducky gave him something to keep him sedated. I can't tell you guys how much you grabbing this stuff helped me. Once we get everything in place we'll have to have you over for dinner."

"Well, I'll consider it a double date." Palmer said, handing Tony a folder.

"Here is the real reason I agreed to wake up at 6 AM. Vance gave me your op folder last night." Tony said holding out the folder to Tim.

"This is it, huh?" Tim accepted the folder.

"It has dossiers for all four stages of the op, and it has protocols should something – _go wrong._ " Tony explained.

"Alright." Tim opened the folder. The first divider read _Gemcity Red: Classified Material,_ " _Gemcity Red_ , huh, it has a nice ring to it." He said with a smile.

"It has plans, possible suspects, a rough timeline, and other things you might need, including your badges."

The next three information dividers read _Gemcity Yellow, Gemcity Blue,_ and finally, _Gemcity Green._ There was one divider left at the end, but the color differed from the other dividers. Tim turned to the final divider. The white on black writing made the words pop off the page, but also gave all three men goosebumps. The divider read: _Gemcity Black – Emergency Protocols._


	8. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note: Sorry about yesterday, wouldn't let me publish anything! Here is the last chapter for a few days due to me not having internet until Monday, but I'll keep writing and have a brand new set of chapters for you next week! This chapter holds a lot of Gibbs! Whump - but you might not like Tim this chapter...**_

"Thanks, Tony." Tim sighed, placing the folder down the steps. He would have to read through that folder thoroughly some point soon.

"Of course, Tim." Tony smile weakly, "We placed all the stuff in the garage already – you might want to change the code. I mean 0000 – really McIdiot?" he laughed.

"It's the default." Tim sighed, "I haven't exactly had the time to change it yet. It's not like I've been taking of the one person who, to my knowledge hasn't been this sick since the bullet to the heart a few years ago."  
"Ah, that makes sense." Tony agreed, "Can we help you with anything else before we leave?"

"Ya know," Tim said with a mischievous smile, "I think I have a few things we could do."

Three men, a few jokes, and a lot of cursing later, almost every appliance that couldn't be carried by one man had been moved to their various places in the house. Tony and Jimmy had been given the grand tour, and, as it came to an end, the men arrived at the garage to move the final appliance into place.

"I don't see why you need a Jacuzzi in your house, Tim." Tony said after they had finally maneuvered the thing out of the garage.

"Because, Tony," Tim explained, "I have a feeling that it would seriously help Gibbs and his knee."

"True," Tony agreed, "The boss has been having some serious knee problems hasn't he?"

"And Dr. Mallard said he can't get him to do his physical therapy exercises." Jimmy added.

"Well," Tony grunted as they began to move up the first flight of stairs, "he is quite stubborn, especially when it comes to showing any vulnerability."

"Ya," Tim exasperated, "did you know he's been sick, like throwing up and fever, twice in the last year."

"What?!" Tony gawked almost dropping the tub as they reached the top of the first flight of stairs, "He couldn't have been! One of us would have noticed."

"One of us did," Tim said, "Ducky."

"Leave it to the Duckmaster to notice something Gibbs does." Tony said as they made quick work of the second flight of stairs.

"It happens when you are friends with someone for what, twenty years?" Tim explained.

"True." Tony smiled as they reached the top of the stairs.

Tim held his finger up to his lips as he opened the door that led into the master bedroom and revealed a peaceful Jethro Gibbs.

"Let me move him." Tim whispered, letting go of the tub and moving the mattress closer to the opposite wall.

He returned to his position, and the three continued to move the tub into the master bathroom, slowly dropping it to the floor and adjusting its position into the corner.

McGee grabbed a few things from the bathroom and the three men exited as quietly as they had come in.

"I like the bedroom, Timmy." Dinozzo said once the door had been shut, "It has a nice color."

"It's called 'Capri' I think." Time explained, "Either way, Jethro loved the color, so we decided to make it our room color."

"The boss loves a color that isn't brown or black," Tony said looking up, "You must have taught him something, Shannon."

Tim smiled at the sentiment that Tony had offered Gibbs' deceased wife, and led Tony and Jimmy around displaying the different colors that Gibbs and him had agreed on.

Finally, the three ended in the laundry room, and Tim opened the basement door to show Tony Jimmy, Fornell, and Jake's handiwork.

"Wow," Tony said shocked, "and the boss wasn't mad."  
"On the contrary, Tony." Tim explained, "He was so happy, he almost started crying."

"Oh," Tony grew somber and wrapped his arm around Tim, "you're gonna be great for him, Tim. The boss needs someone who will take care of him. He is so alert in caring for us, I fear one day he'll forget about his own health to the point that he can't work, or worse."

"I'll take good care of him, Tony." Tim said as they ascended the stairs and approached the front door, "I promise."

The men exchanged hugs, something that hadn't happened since the last time their boss had almost lost his life a few years back, and Tim let them out of the house. Locking the front door, Jethro the dog came to his side.

"Want some food, boy?" Tim said, smiling and petting Jethro a few times.

The dog fed and let out, Tim returned to the bedroom to finish painting the walls. This job was harder than imagined due to the ceiling paint still being slightly tacky which made the use of painter's tape impossible. The precision strokes took time, but McGee finished in a good amount of time. Looking at his watch he found that it was almost 9:45. Gibbs was still sleeping, and it didn't seem like he would be waking any time soon.

Walking into the bathroom, Timothy quickly read the directions and got to work installing the tub. It didn't take long for everything to be properly connected, but Tim left the caulking job Gibbs when he felt better.

It was almost 1 PM when McGee finished painting the ceiling of the bathroom in 'Extra White' as the paint can read. He wondered if his need for white ceilings had come from Shannon, but his thoughts were cut short by a moaning that came from just outside the bedroom.

"Boss?" McGee whispered peeking out the archway, "Boss, you awake?"

"Tim." Another moan came from the man whose eyes barely opened.

"Hey, Boss. How are you feeling?"

"Like crap." Gibbs answered, but crap didn't describe it at all. His head was pounding, his mind and thought-process was clouded, he could barely get his eyes opened, and even when he did all he could see was blurred colors. To top it all off, Gibbs remembered his burst of anger, but he couldn't remember if he had dreamed about it or if it had actually been said, but he hoped that it had been the former and not the latter.

"Ducky sedated you," Tim explained, once again brushing Gibbs' hair from his face, "so you're going to feel the effects for a while."  
"Can I move, Tim?" Gibbs asked with a yawn that turned into a grimace.

"I wouldn't recommend it, Boss, but, with my assistance, we can probably get you to the bathroom."

"Nah, I'm good here for now, Tim. Where's Ducky?"  
"Went home, Boss, and so did Jimmy, Tony, and Vance – after they went and got all of the other furniture from Ellie's. I wouldn't be surprised I we saw Abby at some point tomorrow, or even tonight, to check on us and probably bring us some sort of food."

"Food?" Gibbs questioned.

"Well," McGee sighed, "Saying for the fact that you haven't ever let us know that you were sick, I'm guessing that you've never gotten Abby's special soup." He said sharply.

"Abby's special soup?" Gibbs asked.

"The most heavenly substance in the world." Tim said pointedly.

"You have a problem, Tim?" Gibbs asked, his voice growing cold and rigid, even more than his sickness already had.

"To be honest _, Special Agent Gibbs_ , I do." Tim's voice began to grow and the anger began to flare up in his chest, "I have a problem with the fact that you have no trust for us. You have no trust for Tony, for Ellie, or for me! You believe that it is your right to take care of us, and you believe that we should tell you everything that's wrong with us – even down to a paper cut or a bad mood. Even if Ellie has only been here for a few years, why not trust Tony and I. We have been by your side through everything, Boss. You may not have known it, but when you injured your shoulder getting that soldier out of what was it – Mexico? We stayed by your side the whole ride back while you slept. We took turns changing your bandages while you were sedated. When you got blown up, we took turns watching over you again, and Ziva even helped restore your memory. We weren't mad that you hadn't told us about Shannon and Kelly. We weren't even mad that decided to quit and head off to Mexico. We knew you needed your space. What about just a few years back when that guy shot you in Afghanistan? Ellie stayed by your side until we got to you, and then we, all three of us, sat vigil until you woke up. We took care of you, but the moment you woke up, you would have none of it. We had to threaten the doc's life and pull Ducky out of autopsy just to get into your room, Boss. You know we can help. We're not just useless little puppies who wait around for your orders all day. You taught us, Boss. You taught us your rules – All 51 of them! You taught us how to investigate, just like Franks did, and we did. We investigated long before you gave us the order to. So why are we not allowed to help? Why are you allowed to take care of us, but we're not allowed to take care of you!?"

"Why Tim?" Gibbs yelled, trying to hold in the pain in both his throat and his heart, "You want to know why? You want to know why I don't let you coddle me?! I shouldn't need to be coddled. It is my job to protect you! It is not your job to protect me! I can take care of myself!"

"But what about when you can't, Jet?" McGee's voice cracked and tears threatened to escape his eyes, but his voice remained elevated, "What about when you can't rescue yourself? Have you ever thought about what would happen if we lost you? The team has, but have you? Tony would recluse back into alcohol and women – He gave himself two weeks before he was arrested and thrown into jail for something. Ellie – Ellie would lose all control of her eating and give herself a heart attack. Ducky – Well Ducky would probably die the moment he heard you had, which would leave Jimmy all alone, and would leave Vance reeling once again from the death of his life partner. Jimmy would become the next medical examiner, but he would throw himself into his work. That is if he hadn't already killed himself. Me- I would become the Senior Field Agent. I'd throw myself into my work just as you did after you lost Shannon and Kelly. I'd find myself a team, and I'd never let them protect me. I would think it was my duty to protect them. Maybe once they lost me, they'd do the same thing. It's a vicious cycle, Boss, and it's up to you to stop it.

Gibbs dropped away from McGee's eyes for a second, but quickly rose to meet them once again.

"I can't fail you, Tim." Gibbs said, the anger was gone and had been replaced with something Tim could not discern. "I already failed at protecting my wife and my daughter. I already failed to protect Kate. I failed Jenny. I failed Mike Franks. I failed Gerald. I failed Paula. I cannot lose another one of you!" His voice rose again, but instead of anger, desperation now haunted the man's voice, "I can't lose you, Tim. I can't lose Tony, or Jimmy, or Ellie, or Ducky, or Vance. I just can't! If I lose another one of you, it will kill me!" The man finally screamed collapsing back on the mattress in a heap of sobs.

Tim quickly came to Jethro's side, wrapping his two arms and the blanket around the man, ignoring the tears that were pouring down his eyes.

"Shh, Jethro. It's ok." The younger man soothed, " You're not gonna lose us, ok? We will make sure of that, but you've gotta make sure of one thing for us, ok?" he felt Gibbs head move in his arms and took it as an ok, so he continued, "You need to make sure we don't lose you." He was answered by a louder sob, so he squeezed Leroy just a little bit harder.


	9. Chapter 8

**_Author's Note: I'm baaaaack! Thank you guys for the resounding messages and reviews! Here is another chapter!_**

Tim's eyes slowly opened. He took a minute to ground himself. Checking his watch he found that it was almost 6 PM, and his world-class investigative skills told him that someone was sleeping in his arms – mostly because he couldn't feel anything in either arm below the shoulder. Something had woken the man from sleep, but he couldn't remember wh – _Knock, knock._

Suddenly he realized what had woken him from such a dead sleep. He slowly maneuvered Jet from his arms, laying him back onto the bed and wrapping him in a blanket.

Tim made quick work of the stairs, and as he approached the door, whoever was there knocked again. Looking through the peep hole, McGee immediately recognized the pale complexion and black outfit of Abby Sciuto.

"Evening, Abby," McGee yawned, opening the door, "How are you today?"

"Where is he, Timmy?" She rushed in, ignoring his question, holding a large crockpot, "Where is Gibbs?!"

"He's asleep upstairs, Abs." Tim pointed toward the stairs.

"I brought Grammy's soup, and bowls." She said excitedly, walking into the kitchen as if she had lived there her entire life, "I've never had this opportunity before."

"What opportunity, Abs?" Tim said, taking the spoons and napkins she handed him.

"The opportunity to feed Grammy's Special Sickie Soup to the boss man – Saying for the fact he has never been sick before." She said excitedly pouring three bowls of soup. Tim hadn't the heart to inform her of what Ducky had made known about how often the boss had been sick and hidden it from them.

Handing a bowl to Tim, the two made their way upstairs to the master bedroom. Opening the door quietly, Abby took a few moments to lovingly stare at the figure that lay still in the bed.

"Jet?" Tim whispered putting his bowl down and approaching the peacefully sleeping heap of blanket, "Jet? Abby is here." The man stirred slightly, peeking one eye open, "Abby's here. She has that soup I was talking about – You don't wanna miss it."  
"Umph." The man groaned as Tim helped him sit up, "Soup?"

"Hey, Jet!" Abby squealed quietly, knowing how bad of a headache the man must have if he was letting Tim help him sit up and stay up.

"Soup?" Gibbs said hoarsely, gazing at Abby as his body swayed.

"Here ya go, Jethro," Tim soothed as he handed the bowl of to the sick man. He was glad that he had kept his hand on the bowl as it slipped straight through Jethro's fingers, "I've got it. I can help you if you let me."

Steel blue eyes met green in silent opposition, but a small eyebrow lift from Tim caused Jethro's eyes to lower in defeat. With all three situated on the mattress, Abby said her normal dinner prayer, and the three began to dig into the delicious soup. After a few minutes, Tim had already hurriedly finished his soup and Gibbs was beginning to find it harder and harder to lift the spoon from the bowl to his mouth. A small pleading look towards Tim let the older man ask for help without verbalizing it out loud, and instantly, McGee came to the aid of his superior.

Spoonful after spoonful, Tim fed Gibbs who was having enough trouble not asking for help staying up, nevertheless feeding himself. Conversation with Abby was what it normally was, but Tim and Abby continued to exchange glances every time Jet's balance wavered and one or the other would have to catch the tipping man who had become their loving Boss, friend, confidant, and, to some, father figure.

The meal was soon over, and once Gibbs had been returned to his normal reclining position on the bed, Abby and McGee exited the room and turned off the light.

"He looks like he's happy." Abby laughed weakly. "He also looks like hell. I was afraid to hug him." Her small smile turned into a frown.

"You don't have to be afraid of him, Abs; unless you're afraid of food poisoning." Tim said as they reached the bottom of the stairs to the second floor.

"I know, but seeing him all vulnerable is like seeing- it's like seeing a little boy who lost his puppy, or his daddy." She stared at the floor for a second, "It like seeing a Marine without his dignity, and I feel dirty seeing him like that."

"Same here Abs." Tim wrapped her in a long hug, "but he is going to be fine. Both of us have some major adjusting to do, but we'll both be fine."

"You better be, Tim!" Abby insisted, repacking the bowls and silverware, "You both have a great opportunity for love in this, but-

"Abs," Tim interrupted, "I have a feeling after this op is over, I'm gonna be transferred to NCIS Antartica, and I bet Gibbs and I won't be able to ever lock eyes again."

Abby's face turned dark, and without notice she head-slapped Tim hard.

"Don't you dare say that, McGee!" Abby said sternly but quietly, "As I was saying, you both have a great opportunity for love, but you need to both get it through your thick heads that you are perfect for each other!"

"And how is that, Abs. We are polar opposites, and I think I annoy Gibbs more than anyone else on the team."

"He loves you, Tim, but he doesn't know it yet." Abby said gathering her things, "You take care of him the most, and I can see how thankful he is."

"Maybe you're right, Abs." Tim smiled and helped Abby gather her things and walked her towards the door.

"Plus," she continued, "I have never seen Gibbs let anyone help him the way you did tonight, and by what Ducky and Tony told me, the only reason he is recovering so fast is how you are caring for him. You're good for him, Tim. Don't let his stubborn stupidity or your need to always bow down to him ruin that for you guys."

"Thanks, Abs." Tim blushed and hugged her tight, "Do you want me to walk you to your car?"

"I'm fine, Tim." She yawned, "You get back up there with that hunk, and you make sure I get an update in the morning."

"Of course, Abs. Good night."

"Night, Tim."

Tim shut the door and went around the house checking the rest of the doors and windows as he had the night before. It was almost eight, but McGee knew that he would not be returning to the lower levels of the house until morning. He put the crockpot of left over soup into the cold basement, making a mental note to set up the refrigerator in the morning.

Once, he was sure the house had been properly secured, Tim made is way up to the bedroom. Jet was already asleep when McGee entered the room. He quickly grabbed a new undershirt, pair of underwear, and sweats and headed to the other bathroom to take a quick shower – gratefully taking the opportunity to clean the last day-and-a-half's worth of grime off of himself.

After his shower and a quick shave, McGee entered the room to find a semi-conscious Jethro who was quite restless.

"You need something, Gibbs?" Tim asked getting down to the evel of the mattress.

"A bathroom would be a good first, Tim," Gibbs mumbled, "but I can't seem to get myself up without falling back over."

"I'll help you." Tim moved to help Gibbs up, but was met with stark opposition.

"Don't need help, McGee. I can get _myself_ to the bathroom."

"Not a request, Gunny," Tim's eyes narrowed, and he threw a glare at Gibbs that even Gibbs himself couldn't produce, "but an order."

"Yes," Gibbs tried to match the glare to no avail, " _Sir_."

It was a process, but soon Tim and Gibbs had made their way to the bathroom. Gibbs was easily situated on the toilet, and, once Tim was sure that the older man wouldn't fall over, he left the man to his privacy until he heard the flushing sound a few minutes later. Jet was soon situated back on the mattress, but, unlike before, he was completely alert and only showing minor signs of the exhaustion that the sickness had caused.

"You want to just sit there, or can I get you something to do?" Tim asked.

"How is the book coming?" Jethro avoided the question.

"It's going fine. I'm on the second to last chapter, but I have to get it edited before it gets published. Can I get you anything to do?" Tim reiterated.

"Can I read it?" Jet pointed to the box where he knew Tim put his writing binders.

"The new one?" Tim asked surprised, "I didn't even think you read the first one."

"I bought a copy the first day it came out." Jethro admitted, "You think I didn't know you had published a book, Tim?"

"Wow." Tim was shocked. He didn't even think that Gibbs had cared about his life out of work, but never in a million years did he think that Gibbs had gone out and bought _Deep Six_ on the first day that it had come out, "Yeah, here it is. Binder one is the first few chapters. Be warned it needs to be edited."

"Thanks," Jet smiled taking the box from Tim, "I, uh, I liked the first one."

"Thanks," Tim blushed bright red as he moved to his typewriter.

The two men quietly went about their own activities. Tim had soon finished a list of all that had to be done in the house. He looked up from his typewriter just in time to see Jet let out a long yawn.

"Tired?" Tim asked, approaching the bed and removing the binder from the man's hand.

"Want the truth?" Gibbs asked sarcastically. Timothy lifted his eyebrows and moved to turn the light off. The light off, Tim used the light from his phone to guide him towards the mattress. He helped Gibbs het comfortable enough to sleep, and then he moved to the floor by Jet's side.

"Not gonna sleep on the mattress, Tim?" Gibbs yawned sleepily.

"To be honest, Jet," Tim sighed, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I know you're frustrated. I know that, although you won't admit it, you're scared. I get it. I am too, and I want to make sure I make this uncomfortable situation as comfortable as possible."

Jethro's face was set. In the dark Tim could barely make out the firm line in the elder's jaw or the way the bones around his eyes had set into a firm and somber expression.

"I am scared, Tim." Jet's voice had gone from sleepy to serious almost instantly.

"I know." Tim whispered inaudibly, tears forming in his eyes. Gibbs had never admitted any emotion, other than annoyance or anger, to any of his agents, and now he was admitting fear – vulnerability – to the one agent who seemed to anger and annoy him the most.

"And, to be honest, I'm not just scared of what we have to do here, Tim." Gibbs voice cracked, his body straining to keep the tears inside his eyes. "I'm scared of what I could do wrong – to you, to Shannon, to Kelly." His voice finally lost its severity and opened into what truly laid at the inside of Leroy Jethro Gibbs – A lost and hurt Marine.

Tim climbed over Gibbs onto his side of the mattress. He reached over and wrapped his arms around Jet's tense body. His hand found his face and wiped away the tears that had silently begun to run down his cheek. Finding the blanket, he pulled it over the both of them, and began to almost silently sing into Jethro's ear.

 _Hush, little baby, don't say a word._

 _Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird_

 _And if that mockingbird won't sing,_

 _Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring_

 _And if that diamond ring turns brass,_

 _Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass…_


	10. Chapter 9

The sun was up when Gibbs eyes opened. Tim was already awake and typing away at his typewriter.

"Morning!" Tim looked up at Gibbs, "There are pancakes in that food-warmer." He said pointing at a plate that sat next to McGee's side of the mattress, "Ducky said they're your favorite."

"Umm." Gibbs stretched, grimacing as his body recognized the soreness that had developed from his retching the day before.

"You alright there, Jet?" Tim questioned moving his typewriter aside.

"Yeah," Gibbs yawned, "Just wondering whether I should arrest you for assaulting a federal officer because that's the only way I could be this sore."

"Wasn't me!" Tim laughed raising his hands into the air in surrender.

"Pancakes, huh?" Gibbs managed to sit up on his own, but took McGee's arm to get into a standing position.

"Yep. I'll have them ready when you get out of the bathroom." Tim smiled, leaving Gibbs on his own in the bathroom, "Call if ya need help."

Five minutes later, Jet stumbled out of the bathroom, almost falling over.

"Told you to call if you needed help." Tim said with a smirk.

"I'm fine." Gibbs said, trying to figure out how to lower himself back onto the mattress, "but I could use a hand here."

"Got it." McGee stood up and again offered his arm for Jet to hold onto as he lowered onto the mattress.

"So, pancakes?" Gibbs asked, his eyes transfixed on the food tat Tim had prepared.

"Ducky texted me this at six this morning," Tim smiled, handing Gibbs a plate, "five minutes later he and Director Vance on my front porch with these. He said they were blueberry chocolate chip – your favorite."

"He'd be right." Gibbs took the syrup from McGee and poured half the bottle onto his plate.

"Do you like syrup?" Tim asked sarcastically.

"If by like, you mean love, then I guess the answer is yes." Gibbs laughed, "My mom and dad used to hide the syrup so that I wouldn't get up in the middle of the night and devour the bottle."

"I'll need to remember that if the syrup goes missing."

"If?" Gibbs asked, trying to hide his smirk, "More like when."

"I'll stock up on syrup." Tim smiled, slowly eating at is pancakes.

They continued to eat in complete silence, neither man knowing what to say or how to say it. At some point, Tim felt the mood in the room change, and looking over he saw Jet staring intently at his still half full plate. His eyes were filled with tears, but Tim didn't know what to do. He had taken the last two emotional storms well, and he knew that, as with the last two, these storms had to be taken care of delicately. Tim definitely did not want to make Gibbs uncomfortable or anger him, but he didn't want him to have to hurt alone either.

"Jet?" Tim said not seeming to draw the attention of the senior field agent, "Leroy?" He called him again, this time getting his attention and drawing him from his mind.

"Ya." Jet said somberly not wanting to draw any more attention to himself.

"You ok?" Tim took the plate from Jet's hands and placed himself right next to Jethro on the mattress.

"I'd be lying if I said yes."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No." Gibbs took a deep breath and blew it out in a sigh, "I need to say something that I don't want to say."

"Why don't you wanna say it?" Tim's hand found Jet's and intertwined their fingers.

"It makes me a hypocrite. It conflicts what I've taught you since the day we first met."

"You don't have to say it, Leroy." Tim moved is other hand to push the unkempt hair from the Marine's face.

"But I do, Tim." He banged his free hand on the mattress. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said to Ducky. I'm sorry for not telling you how upset I was. I'm sorry for not telling you all about Shannon and Kelly to begin with. I lied. I broke my own rule. I broke Shannon's rule. I hid things from my team, but more importantly, I hid things from my friends. I didn't trust you guys and that was wrong of me. I knew you all took care of me, but I still lied about being sick or hurt or angry. For that I am sorry."

Tim took his hand and led Jethro's eyes to meet his own. He wiped his finger underneath Jet's eye, removing the tear that had managed to escape.

"I forgive you." Tim said, his eyes locked with Leroy's. "We all forgive you."

"Thanks, Tim." Jet offered his hand, and Tim moved to shake it. Before Tim could reach Jet's hand, Jet moved his hands and instead wrapped his arms tight around Tim.

Tim felt Jet's face bury deep into is neck. The wetness of tears was the next sensation. He hadn't even realized that his arms had instinctively surrounded the man until he felt Gibbs adjust his position in Tim's arms.

Gibbs sat up slowly, purposefully avoiding Tim's eye contact.

"I'm sorry," Jet whispered, "I need to control my emotions better than that."

'Leroy Jethro Gibbs." Tim's voice was stern, but calm, serious, but loving. His full name made Jet's eyes shoot up and, once again, lock eye's with Tim.

"Yes." Jet said curtly.

"I have a rule – Tim's #1 Rule."

"And what is that." Gibbs' sighed.

"Never be ashamed of what you feel or conveying how you feel." Tim took Jet's hand, "You understand?"

"Yea," Jet smiled and took a deep breath, "Now what can I do to get this place put together."

"What?" Tim laughed, "You don't like sleeping on a bare mattress in the middle of a room with an unfinished bathroom?"

"Not particularly." Jet said with satire.

"There's a list," Tim pointed to a small pile of papers sitting by the typewriter, "They are separated by floor and room, and the ones that I thought you would do better are asterisked."

Gibbs picked up the list and examined it.

"What are these little arrow things at the end of a task?" Gibbs pointed on the paper to a less than arrow().

"They are to mark which ones are kind of essential to normal living." Tim explained, "You know like installing the toilets, showers, sinks, and all other needed appliances. I actually planned to install the refrigerator today, but I need to install the new flooring, at least in that area, which will take at least the majority of the day."

"Doesn't it need to acclimate? Most wood needs to do that or can crack." Gibbs asked, slowly getting himself up from the mattress.

"The appliance store guy said about two days. It's been almost two days since we bought it." McGee informed him.

"It's been two days!" Gibbs was shocked. How could time have flown by as fast as Tim was saying it had?

"Yep." Tim showed him the date in his phone.

"How could I miss an entire day?"

"Well, if 'I've never seen anyone that sick ever' gives any consolation than there ya go."

"Ugh." Gibbs moved to his suitcase and grabbed an clean set of clothes, "Be right back, gonna change."

"Call if you need me."

"Yep." Gibbs said beginning to walk into the bathroom.

"Jet?"

"Yah." Gibbs poked his head out of the bathroom archway.

"An order."

"Got it." Jet nodded.

Tim emptied the paper plates into their garbage bag and stood up to stretch and reorganize the room.

"We have a place for dirty clothes?" Gibbs asked, walking almost steadily out of the archway from the bathroom. He was in a tight fitting undershirt that plainly showed off his muscular arms, and a pair of tight fitting jeans, and it took Tim a second to realize that he was even being talked to.

"Uh, that pile," Tim blushed and pointed to a small pile of clothes in the corner of the room, "at least until you install the washer/dryer, and I get the hamper up here."

"Well, I guess that is what I could start with."

"But, the walls still need to be painted, and I can do that first."

"Then where do you want me to start because this seems like a really big project that not even I know how to begin."

"You could start with the master bathroom if you'd like." Tim gestured to the archway, "I installed the tub, but I suck at caulking things. I left it for you."

"Alright, supplies?"

"Should be inside the tub."

"Right, I'll get to work."

"And, Jet?"

"Yah, _Thom_."

"Be careful. You're still getting better, and you have a concussion from hitting that boat with your head."

"Yes, Mom." Jet smiled and went to work in the bathroom.

It hadn't been two hours when McGee heard Jet make his way down the stairs towards the laundry room.

"Done already?" Tim called up the stairs when he was sure that Jet was close enough to hear his words.

"Doesn't take that long to caulk a bathtub, Tim." Jet explained, "I even took a twenty minute break before I came down here."

"Thank you." Tim turned around to face Jethro and revealed just how much paint he had on him causing Gibbs to release a loud laugh, "I told you I'm not that good at home projects, Boss. I told you that a long time ago."

"You want some help?" Gibbs offered, "I saw how well you did on the bedroom, but two of us can get this done faster than one."

"If you'd like." Tim smiled, offering the paint roller full of the light green paint to Jet, "I already finished the ceiling, but that's easy because you really don't have to be careful of the unpainted wall. It takes a bit longer to paint the walls, but my uncle was a painter. I used to work with him every once in a while, so I picked up a few of his secrets."

Gibbs began to paint the wall, but he was noticeably slower than Tim.

"You want some help?" Tim smirked putting down the brush he was using to do the precision work on the edges near the molding and ceiling.

"If you have a better way, well, ya, Tim, help away." Gibbs said, but he didn't expect what came next. Tim got up from his spot and moved behind Jet. Wrapping his arms around Jet, Tim took Jet's hands and moved them in a more precise and quick manner in a way that moved the paint roller more exactly. Once he was sure that Gibbs had figured it out, Tim removed his hands.

"You know," Tim said, picking up his brush and beginning to paint again, "I always thought you'd be the one who was better at this than me."

"And I always thought that I'd be the one coming up behind you and demonstrating, Tim." Gibbs laughed.

-GemcityRed-

"I'm here to see him." The blond woman said, as she approached the desk. Her hair was in a tight bun, and it was obvious that she meant business.

"He's expecting you in his office, Ma'am." The man sitting at desk responded, hitting a small green button that seemed to activate the door behind him.

"Nice to see you, Cara." A man said as the woman walked through the door.

"Nice to see you as well, Sir." Cara said placing folder down in front of him on his conference table.

"These the new photos for this month?"

"Yes, Sir," Cara answered, "but there has been a new development."

"And what is that, Cara?" He said opening the folder and reviewing the photos.

"As you can see, Sir," Cara pointed to the photos, "Leroy and one of his agents seem to have moved in with each other."

"Is it personal," The man took a photo of Leroy and McGee in his hand, "or is it an undercover op?"

"We're still trying to figure that out, Sir."

"Keep me informed, Cara." The man stood up from the table, "I want to know what we're dealing with as soon as possible."

"Yes, Sir." Cara said as the man took her hand and walked her to the end of the room and let her out.

He sat back at his desk and continued to examine the photos.

"Oh, Jethro," He spoke to himself, "What have you and Agent McGee gotten yourselves into?"


	11. Chapter 10

**_Author's Note: I am here to humbly ask for your forgiveness. Two dead computers, a destroyed hard drive, and a very choppy chapter later, I am back! I apologize for this chapter - I loved the one I had, but my computer had different plans for it. I plan on releasing a chapter a week, by Friday, from now on._**

"You done yet?" Tim asked after he had finished painting the molding. As usual he had delved into his work, not even noticing that Jethro hadn't made a sound.

Receiving no answer, Tim turned around only to see Jethro's painting supplies lying neatly on the covered floor waiting for a proper cleaning, but Jethro had silently slipped out of the room at some point. Checking his watch, Tim found that it was just turning two o'clock.

Entering the bedroom, it was easy to make out the form of a man underneath the blanket, and Tim's suspicions were confirmed by the patch of black and grey hair that peaked out from the covers. The younger agent ensured that Jethro's face was clear and then made his way down to kitchen to make a call.

" _Afternoon, Timothy."_ Ducky's voice came over the speaker, making him the fifth person on the conference call.

"Hey, Ducky," Tim said, "You're on the line with Ellie, Tony, and Abby as well."

" _Ah,"_ Ducky sighed, " _May I assume you are calling us to update us on Jethro's condition?"_

"That'd be correct, Ducky." Tim affirmed.

" _Well, then would it be ok if I let Leon in our conversation?"_ Ducky asked, " _He has been lurking around autopsy waiting for your call."_

"That's fine, Ducky." Tim responded, "To answer the question you're all wondering, Jethro's doing a lot better. He has been taking breaks and resting up, even without me asking. He looks a whole lot better too. " Tim heard a collective sigh.

" _Does that mean he's up for visitors? I'd love to come out and see how everything's going, if you know what I mean."_ Leon's voice came through.

"I'm guessing so, Director." Tim said, "There is still a crockpot full of Abby's soup that need to be eaten, so if you and Ducky want to stop by for dinner tonight, I can set up the dinner table."

" _Alright,_ " This time it was Ducky, " _Leon and I have to go. Even without you and Jethro here, life continues on. Does eighteen hundred work for you both_?"

"Eighteen hundred sounds perfect." Tim answered, "See you then." With that, a small beep marked Ducky's exit from the call leaving only Tony, Ellie, and Abby.

" _So how is the boss reacting to living with the wonderful McGoo?"_ Tony's voice came on.

"It's been a struggle, but we're surviving." Tim let out a weak chuckle, "Let me ask, has Gibbs ever apologized to any of you?"

" _Uh,"_ Tony began, " _Maybe once or twice, but you have to remember 'Rule #6'."_

 _"_ _I'm his favorite,"_ Abby made her presence known _, "so he always apologizes to me."_

 _"_ _I'm in the same boat as Tony."_ Ellie added _._

"Alright," Tim said, "that's what I thought. Have any of you ever confronted him?"

" _I'm not that stupid."_ They all said in unison, and even Tim had whispered it under his breath.

"Well I did." Tim blurted out.

" _And you're still alive?"_ Jimmy's voice came over the line, but the other three remained silent.

"Yes, Jimmy." Tim laughed, "Still alive, but the way he reacted was strange."

" _Well,"_ Tony said, " _if you're still breathing, I'd definitely say he reacted strangely."_

"No," Tim sighed, "this time was different. I asked him why he hadn't let us help him when he was sick, and at first he was angry – which I expected- but then broke down into tears and **apologized.** "

" _Wait,_ " Tony said, " _We are still talking about never-show-any-form-of-emotion-and-get-angry-when-we-question-if-he-is-ok-Gibbs, right?_ "

"Yep," Tim answered, "I have never seen the boss this emotional, or open, for that matter, but I have a feeling it has something to with him being so sick."

" _Well,_ " Abby said, her voice marked with concern, " _whether or not it's because he's sick, I'm glad you were there, Timmy_."

" _I agree."_ Tony and Ellie said together.

" _As much as I love our little family conversation_ ," Tony sighed, " _Ellie and I have to go. We still have a bunch of paper work and cold cases to go through. Director Vance benched us until he can get us a temp agent or something. It's gonna be weird not seeing you here in the office,_ _McGemcity, but I guess Jim and I will see you at Society meetings and such_."

"Of course," Tim agreed, "plus we'll be having you all over for dinner at some point before we go under, and I believe we are still planning on our yearly get-together for the Shannon-Kelly Anniversary, right?"

" _Oh,_ " Ellie gasped, " _I forgot the anniversary was coming up! Do you think Gibbs will agree on coming_?"

"Still gotta ask him," Tim said, "but to be honest I might just surprise him with it, since he doesn't even know about it. It all depends on if he's up to it of course."

" _Alright,_ " Tony said, " _Take care of him for us. Bye, Tim_."

" _Bye."_ Ellie chimed.

"Seeya." Tim responded. There was an audible sound of the receivers being placed in their cradles, and then Tim heard Abby say something to Jimmy.

" _You still there, Tim?"_ Abby said after a second.

"Yep," Tim chirped, walking himself down into the garage, "I'm still here."

" _I just sent Jimmy off."_ She said, " _He has been hanging around here a lot. By what he's saying, I think he's planning on proposing to Tony! Wouldn't that be super exciting!?"_ Her voice had elevated, and Tim could hear the obvious thrill in her voice.

"That would be amazing!" Tim exclaimed, as he looked around the garage. If he was being honest, he really wasn't paying that much attention to what she was saying. He loved talking to Abby, but if he was going to host Director Vance and Ducky, he would need to find the informal dining room table and put it together. That meant finding the boxes that housed the table parts, getting them through the still drying, newly painted laundry room, and putting the piece of furniture together before five, and probably doing it all without Jethro's help. That left him a little over two and a half hours.

" _I know right_!" Abby giggled. If anything made her happy, it was someone else being happy, " _I think he deserves to be happy, especially after Breena's death. It makes me think about you and Gibbs. I mean, do you ever think that you and Gibbs will get to that point in your relationship_?"

Tim stopped dead in his tracks. He had heard enough of what Abby was saying to know what she was asking.

"Are you asking if Jethro and I are gonna get married?!" Tim violently whispered.

" _Well,_ " Abby said, " _I hope you aren't just partners for the rest of your lives_."

"Abbs," He was still whispering, and he had no idea why, "I'd be surprised if I didn't get sent to NCIS Antarctica after this, let alone be allowed to continue on my _relationship_ with Jethro."

" _Why not?!_ " Abby protested, " _You have something great together. I saw how you two interacted last night, and I know for a fact that I've never seen Gibbs let someone take care of him like you did."_

"We'll see, Abbs." Tim sighed, his voice back to normal, "I'm not going to force Jethro into a relationship after Shannon, and especially so close to the anniversary of their death. I've seen firsthand what emotions are brought up with anniversaries. I don't think I have to remind anyone about Delilah. "

" _I'm not saying now_ , Tim," Abby replied, " _but I think you can be just as much of a Shannon to him as she was. She kept him in line. She was Gibbs before Gibbs was, and after he got shot in Iraq a few years ago, there is no doubt he's been different. He needs someone to take care of him_."

"And I plan on doing so to the best of my ability, Abby." Tim said, "I've gotta go and put the table together before Ducky and Vance get here. I'll see if Jethro would be fine with you coming over in the next week."

" _Alright_ ," Abby sighed, " _I've gotta take care of these sample that Jimmy brought up to me. If I don't see you soon, I guess I'll see you at the Shannon- Kelly dinner_."

"Yep. See ya, Abby." Tim hit 'end call' and looked at the first box of table parts that he had found. If the box was right, there were three more boxes, and after barely lifting the cumbersome box, he wished that he had Tony and Jimmy to do the "heavy lifting" for him.

It took almost forty-five minutes to find each of the four boxes and maneuver them through the laundry room, but Tim managed. He had even run up to the bedroom and checked on Jethro, who was still sleeping peacefully.

In the dining room, putting the table together was much easier than Tim had thought it'd be. Armed with his hex wrench and a bottle of wood glue, it was an hour and a half endeavor, but in the end, the glass topped table looked gorgeous on the linoleum floor. Even though Jethro had insisted on making the formal dining room table himself, Tim was hopeful that the table they had chosen would do the job for the time being.

With everything cleaned up and presentable, Tim checked his watch. It was a quarter-til-five which gave the young man just enough time to bring the crockpot up from the basement and grab bowls and silverware from a box in the garage.

"Jethro?" Tim whispered as he entered the bedroom at five o'clock sharp, "Jethro, you need wake up."

"Umph." was the only response Tim received.

"Jethro," Tim whispered, his mouth close enough to Gibbs' ear to be heard, but far enough away to avoid the jump that he was expecting, "your boat's on fire."

"What?!" Jethro shot up.

"An oldie, but a goodie." Tim laughed, "It works every time."

"Urg." Jethro tried to give Tim a patented Gibbs glare, but instead breaking into laughter himself.

"Sorry." Tim smiled, offering his arm to help Gibbs up, "but Leon and Ducky kinda invited themselves over for dinner. By the way the director was talking, I think he wants to meet Thom and Jet."

"What does that mean?" Jethro yawned, fending off the aching pain in his knee and the sleepiness that was still trying to overtake him.

"That means, _Jet,_ " Tim grabbed something out of his suitcase, "that you get to wear this and be a gay former marine." He held up a blue plaid shirt that instantly read lumber jack.

"You want me to wear that?" Jethro gave a light chuckle in disbelief.

"Go and change," Tim threw the shirt at the older man with an evident smirk, "put on those jeans you had on this morning, and you'll pull off the part well."

"Guessing I don't have time to take a shower?" Jethro sighed.

"Well, Ducky and Vance agreed on dinner at six. It's seventeen-oh-five, and if either follow the same principle that you, my father, myself, the average workaholic, and any other military or government personnel follow-"

"They'll be here at seventeen-thirty, got it." Jethro grabbed a fresh pair of undergarments and headed into the bathroom.

Tim began to change quickly. Luckily, he was used to being Thom E. Gemcity, and his richer-than-rich persona was already very believable. Of course, his three thousand dollar suit helped matters as well.

In the bathroom, Jethro stared at himself. The shirt was tight, but it was a good tight. It made the man look well-built and much younger than he really was. His face was gruff from almost a week without a shave, but the residual discoloring from his illness had almost completely left his face.

As he exited bathroom, Jethro stopped, his eyes transfixed on a different man than he had left only five minutes ago.

Thom Gemcity looked more than dapper in his three piece suit. The suit, which seemed to fit just right to every curve the man's body possessed, was black with a bleach white dress shirt underneath his tuxedo jacket. An unfastened top button and lack of a tie, gave Thom a slightly more casual look that fit his air of professionalism well.

Thom shifted his eyes to look at _his_ Jet. Jet's plaid shirt drew out colors in the older man's eyes that no one had seen, and the fit of both his shirt and his jeans, revived an arousal in Thom's chest.

"You," Thom said breathlessly, "you, look amazing."

"Thanks." Jet's face went bright red as he walked closer to Thom, "you, uh, you do too."

"Uh-" _Knock, Knock._ The sound of someone at the door brought both men from their gawking. Both men sighed silently as the exited the bedroom – This was going to be a long night.


	12. Chapter 11

_**Author's Note: So I fell head over heels in love with this chapter. I don't write Ducky well, so I apologize if he doesn't sound extremely Duckyish( I think its sad I use that word enough that my computer doesn't spell correct it). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter like I did!**_

"Good evening, Director Vance." Thom Gemcity opened the front door onto the porch where Ducky and Vance stood.

"Good evening, Mr. Gemcity," Vance smiled as the door fully opened, revealing both men to each other, "and please, call me Leon. This is Dr. Donald Mallard, my partner."

"Of course, Leon, Dr. Mallard," Thom gestured both men inside out of the cold, "and, I apologize for the mess. My partner, Jet, and I are still trying to move in and perform renovations."

"Speaking of which," Ducky's crisp English accent made itself known, "Where is the handsome man?"

"He's waiting for us in the dining room, Dr. Mallard." Thom turned to move, "If you follow me, it's right this way."

"Of course, lad," Ducky moved to follow Thom, "and please, call me Ducky."

They made their way into the dining room where Jet was awkwardly standing, waiting to greet them.

"Jet, I presume." Vance went to shake the older man's hand, his undercover experience helping him to hide the laugh that was quickly welling up in the man's cheeks. Instead he just smiled and shook his head proudly.

"Director Vance." Jet was the first, but not the last, to notice his voice had somehow changed into a lower and more protective octave.

"Leon, please," Vance moved to reveal Ducky, who had instinctively found himself behind his partner, "and this is my partner, Dr. Donald Mallard."  
"Ducky." The doctor corrected as he moved to shake Jet's hand and then sit down in the seat that Leon had pulled out for him.

As Jet approached the Thom and the other side of the table, he couldn't help but notice that Thom had pulled his chair out for him. He awkwardly took it, and he felt Thom squeeze his shoulder slightly before the distinguished author left the room, leaving the three men to converse.

"So, Jet," Leon began, "what do you do for a profession?"

"I'm Thom's assistant." Jet said gruffly, a small smile gracing his face, "I keep track of events, deadlines, other things, you know? Thom said that you guys are NCIS? What in the hell's that?"

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service." Leon couldn't hide his full blown smile at what he was seeing. This was a completely different man than who he had expected, "I would think you'd know that. Thom said that you were a former marine."

"Wait?" Jet said, his face contorting into one of confusion, "You mean you guys are NIS? When in the hell did you add the C?!"  
"Well, _Jet_ ," Leon chuckled lightly, "We added the C in '97 – made us look a little tougher in Washington. You know, we're always looking for good men like you to become agents."

"You don't want me, man." Jet raised his hands, "I don't think I'd make it past the polygraph."

"Why's that?" Leon said, footsteps alerting the three that Thom was back.

"Bad Conduct Discharge." Thom said pompously, laying the bowls of soup out in front of each man, "Jet here, did two years for drug possession and distribution."

"Oh." Leon tried to act surprised, but it was hard to hide his amusement in seeing his finest agent portrayed as a drug dealer.

"I brought rolls." Ducky chimed, grabbing the package of homemade rolls from his bag and trying to quickly change the subject before Leon completely lost it.

"Thank you, Ducky," Tim smiled as he sat down in the chair next to Jet and across from Leon, his voice holding a different air of professionalism that Tim never had, "and thank you both for coming today. Jet and I hope-"

It was at this point the Leon couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a loud barreling laugh causing both Thom and Ducky to follow his lead, but the Jethro inside Jet kept his composure. When Leon had regained his breathe, he looked up towards Jet and nodded proudly.

"I am glad you're in on this one, _Gibbs_." Leon reached his hand over the table to shake Jethro's hand once again.

"That mean I can lose this voice?" Jethro said, accepting Leon's hand.

"You can lose the voice, Jethro," Ducky said, his cheeks red from laughter, "but I think it suits you. What do you think Timothy?"

"That was amazing, Jethro." Tim reached around and patted the man's back lightly.

"Heh," Jethro laughed lightly, the remaining pale color of sickness replaced by the bright red of a blush, "Thanks, uh, food?"

"Yes, of course." Tim smiled, "Before we start would you guys like some water. We really don't have anything else."

"Well," Ducky sighed, once again reaching around to the bag from which he had retrieved the rolls, "I thought as much which is why I brought wine."

"Ducky," Tim exclaimed as the Englishman brought out two bottles of wine, one red, one white, "You didn't have to do that!"

"Oh, but I did." Ducky smiled, also retrieving a small box which held four wine glasses, "You bought the wine for our Thanksgiving dinner a few years back, and I never did repay you. So consider yourself repayed."

"Ducky that was near a decade ago!" Tim said, "Thank you!"

"Of course, lad, and what would dinner be without some wine and a toast." Ducky handed a glass of white wine to both Tim and Jethro then poured a glass of red wine for both him and Leon. "To friends, _family_ , and success."

The four glasses clinked and the men settled into their meal. The majority of the table talk was of a cold case that had grown hot, and Ducky seemed mighty pleased to inform them that he and Abby had found traces of a hard to detect poison and a needle mark in the skin of an exhumed body that the coroner at the time had missed.

At the end of the meal, Tim took the bowls upstairs with the help of Leon, who said that he wanted to go over the operation folder and dossiers with Tim in detail.

"So how are you doing, Jethro?" Ducky asked as soon as he was sure Tim and Leon were out of ear shot. Still his voice was not much higher than a whisper.

"It's been ok, Duck." Jethro sighed, leaning back in his chair, "He's not as bad as Tony has always made him out to be."

"I meant physically, but you know that Tony was joking, Jethro, right?" Ducky chuckled.

"Of course, I know, Duck," Jethro scrubbed his hand down his face, and seemed to ignore the question about his physical state, "but I was worried, especially with the anniversary coming up." Ducky nodded, knowing Jethro still had things to say, "But Tim, Tim seems to understand to a point. I mean, he confronted me, Duck. He told about how much the team has done; about the little things that I thought no one paid attention to. I don't know how I could have been so blind. They are my team, and I didn't even notice one of the most important things about them – how they treated the man that made their life a living hell."

"Don't beat yourself up, Jethro." Ducky sighed, reaching across the table to grab Jethro's hand.

Jethro had never been one for affection from any of his team with the exception of Abby – not even Ducky, but this time Jethro took his hand and gently squeezed.

"I feel bad, Ducky. None of them deserved what I did to them. The anger, the lies." Jethro rubbed his temples. He could feel the beginnings of a headache, and he was still drained from the sickness that had taken two days of his life.

"And you should," Ducky was honest, "but no one holds a grudge, Jethro. They have all forgiven you and moved on, just like you should."

"I guess you're right, but-"  
"But nothing. What is really going on here, Jethro?" Ducky stood up and made his way to the other side of the table, sitting down in Tim's chair.

"I don't know, Duck!" Jethro slammed his hands on the table, "I'm scared! I'm mad at myself! I don't know what to do about anything! I don't know how to be successful in this! I don't want to hurt Tim, and I don't want to get hurt! I just can't do this!" Jethro slumped onto the table, unable to determine whether he was more embarrassed or upset at how he had just acted.

Tim had heard the initial slam of Jethro's hands and had dropped everything to run from the only bathroom with a working sink two floors down towards the angry cries.

"Hey," Tim was at Jethro's side the moment his rant had ended. Grabbing the older man by the shoulders, Tim turned him toward himself, forcing their eye to lock, "What's wrong, Love?"

Jethro fell apart into his arms, and no one blamed him. They all saw it. The man who had been the emotional rock for so long now needed his own rock – His lack of shared emotion now caught up with him.

Tim's world was spinning. Jethro had been fine, at least, Tim thought he was fine, but that wasn't what was bothering the young man who now clenched his boss to his body. _What's wrong,_ _ **Love**_ _?_ Had he really just called his professional partner and **boss** 'Love'?! He knew that would have to be addressed, but now was definitely not the time.

"What happened?" Tim looked from the crying heap in his arms up to Ducky, trying to make it obvious through his gaze that he knew none of this was Ducky's fault.

"I simply asked how he was doing, but he seemed upset from the moment you left the room. It escalated, and this came of it. I didn't mean to upset anyone."

"It's not your fault, Ducky." Tim sighed.

"It's no one's fault." Tim squeezed the trembling body in his arms.

"Is he ok, McGee?" Vance said sympathetically, shocking Tim who hadn't heard him enter the room.

"Isn't that a little obvious." Tim snapped, instantly regretting yelling at his superior, but Vance understood and offered a small approving nod.

"I'll be ok." Jethro whispered just loud enough for only Tim to hear.

"He'll be fine," Tim conveyed for the older man, "You both know what time of year this is."

"We both do," Leon said, coming down towards Jethro and placing his hand on the agent's shoulder, "and all of us, Miss. Scuito, Dinozzo, Bishop, Palmer, Don, me, and obviously Tim, are here for you."

"We'll go now," Ducky sighed, his hand patting Jethro on the back before grabbing his coat and bag, "please call us, and update us on Jethro. And consider the white wine a gift." Ducky smiled weakly, his eyes troubled by the sight of his best friend in such a state.

"Thanks, and will do, Ducky," Tim reached his hand up to shake both men's hands, "and just so you know, we'll be at the banquet."

"Of course, Timothy, I'm glad. We'll let ourselves out." With that, Ducky and Leon were gone.

"Hey," Tim started as soon as he heard the front door shut, "what do you need?"

Jethro stared blankly at the floor. He wasn't sure what to say, and he wasn't sure what he needed. He wanted to understand what was happening. What had returned him to the over-emotional man that had taken the Gunny's place after the death of his wife and daughter? He knew the answer, but he didn't like it. He wanted to change an unchangeable truth – Tim was what had changed him.

A small and playful head slap brought Jethro back into reality.

"What do you need?" Tim asked again, this time his face was much closer.

"I, uh-" Jethro started but stopped, his mind trying to process what he was about to ask.

"You tell me," Tim smiled, "and I'll try like hell to give it to you."

"I, uh," Jethro's voice shuttered and he could feel his chest tightening, "I need you to kiss me."


	13. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note: I made my deadline! It's 11:18 PM over here in the Rocky mountains of the good ole US of A. I wanted to inform everybody of a few things before we begin our lovely chapter. One, yes, the relationships of NCIS are there for a reason. They are just a set up for a story that will either be included later chapters or in another story in the same universe. And yes, this is a very Gibbs!Whump fic - as most of my stories will be. I for on will be honest and say that Tim and Tony are hurt to often in FanFics, and while I love a lot of the Hurt!Tony and Hurt!Tim stories, I feel some seem to portray Tim and Tim as agents unable to properly care for themselves. I am pro Dom!Tony and Dom!Tim as it seems that they are the ones who seem to stand up to Gibbs and his psychological problems and his normal way of handling things -to quote Vance in this chapter 'anger and alcohol'.**_

 _ **Warning! - Not mentioned but implied suicide attempt - AKA TRIGGER WARNING**_

Tim's expression didn't change, instead he gently moved closer and brushed his lips against Jethro's. The sheer contact caused Jethro's hair to stand on end, and his whole body to buzz with electricity.

"Let's get you upstairs and in bed, ok?" Tim pulled away and helped Jethro into a standing position, "Tomorrow we'll talk, alright?" Jethro nodded, but just stood there, "You want me to carry you?" Tim's question was answered with a shift in Jethro's weight and the older man's arms wrapping around his neck.

Lifting Jethro into a child's carry, Tim began to trek towards the bedroom, thoroughly exhausted by the time he arrived.

"It's only nineteen hundred," Tim informed as he placed Jethro down onto the bed, "but I think a very good night of sleep will do both of us a whole lot of good."

"Yea," Jethro whispered quietly, "but I really need a shower. Can I take one?"

"If you're ok with me there." Tim said changing in the bathroom, "I'll stay in my clothes, but I'm not leaving you alone with you this exhausted."

"Alright." Jethro said, slowly lifting his own shaking form from the mattress. His head was pounding, his back was killing him, and his knee was acting up, but somehow he managed to be standing straight when Tim came from the bathroom in an undershirt and a pair of sweats.

The shower was a bit small, but it was enough to fit both men. Tim mostly stayed out of the way, allowing Jethro to enjoy the full extent of the hot water. He was just happy to see how much tension the senior agent was releasing, and even Jethro's sapphire blue eyes had started to return to their normal stunning color.

"You need any help?" Tim asked, watching Jethro unsuccessfully try and wash his hair.

"Everything hurts." Jethro said through gritted teeth as he tried once again to lift his arms to his head.

"Ducky would be the first to tell you that extreme emotional stress easily turns into physical pain." Tim took the bottle of shampoo and put a bit into the palm of his hand, and taking advantage of Jethro's slightly shorter stature, he let the man lean against his chest, gently running his hands through the water laden heap of salt and pepper hair.

"Ducky would also be the first person to say I'm unfit to be an agent. He probably thinks I'm crazy."

"He doesn't think you are crazy," Tim said with a laugh, "but, I will admit that we are all still getting used to the fact that you aren't some robot and actually have the ability to show a form of emotion. It's a bit to take in, but trust me, if they thought you were unfit, they would have taken you off the op the moment they believe you were unable to perform your duties."

Jethro lifted his head to the water, flinching as his neck popped and muscles disagreed.

"Here." Tim moved more towards the center of the shower and the pulsing water, but he remained far enough back that when Jethro rested his head on the center of Tim's chest, the older man was taking the majority of the flow.

"Will you take off your shirt?" Jethro asked almost too quiet to be heard, but Tim had heard him. The young agent quickly disrobed his shirt and threw it out onto the tiled floor.

Placing his head once again on Tim's chest, Jethro didn't pay any attention to the patch of light brown hair, but reveled in the sound of the young man's strong heartbeat. The sound was calming and even a bit lulling, so it didn't surprise Jethro when he was startled awake by Tim's movement.

"We gotta get out, Jethro," Tim whispered, turning the water off, "the water's gotten cold, alright?" Jethro nodded, not having the strength to do much else.

Tim grabbed the towel from just outside the shower, but was surprised at the amount of difficulty that balancing a full grown man and reaching down entailed.

"You need to hold yourself up for a second, ok?" Tim said just loud enough for the man to hear, and once again Jethro nodded, shifting his weight and arms to support himself on the wall.

"Here." Tim wrapped the towel around Jethro and assisted him out of the shower.

"I'm so tired." Jethro grumbled, his head now resting in the crook of Tim's neck.

"Then let's get you to bed, alright?" Jethro nodded, and to Tim's surprise, walked the entire way to the bedroom.

"Umph." Jethro groaned as his head finally hit the pillow.

"You want a pair of sweats or briefs or something?" Tim said grabbing himself a new pair of dry sweats and an undershirt.

"I'm more of a boxers guy," Jethro smiled with a gigantic yawn, "and yes, please. They're in my duffel bag."

"Alright," Tim, who was still getting used to the boss actually asking nicely, opened Jethro's bag and grabbed a pair of boxers, "I'm gonna go change," Tim handed Jethro his underwear, "you call if you need anything."

"Tim," Jethro said, "Uh – um – Can – uh-"

"No shirt?" Tim questioned, getting his answer in the form of a sheepish and tired smile, "Got it."

It was only a few seconds before Tim returned, but the first thing he noticed was the soft snoring of his exhausted supervisory special agent. He slowly sat himself down onto the bed and laid his head down on the pillow he had brought the first day he had slept in the house. So many things had changed since that day.

Jethro had stolen the blanket, all of it, but Tim didn't care. His mind kept running through the events of the last few weeks, from the Henman murder, to the first mention of The Society, to the occurrences of the last few days. Things were happening, and happening at a speed that Tim couldn't wrap his head around. When had Gibbs become as vulnerable as he had been the last few days? And when had Gibbs become gay, or was he? There was that possibility that Jethro was just being a good agent taking one for the team. There was that possibility that he would still be reassigned to NCIS Antarctica at the end of all this.

Those thoughts spun around in Tim's mind for a few minutes, but they were totally forgotten when Jethro changed positions and curled up around Tim's body, his head finding its home once again on Tim's chest.

Tim had seen his boss sleep before, and he hated it. There had always been an apparent form of fear or agitation in face when he slept, and all of the team had noticed it. It had even become standard procedure to warn probies or incoming agents so they wouldn't mention it. Tim still remembered when Kate and Tony had approached him and warned him of just what could happen when Gibbs slept. When the boss slept, there were chances of nightmares, and nightmares usually led to night terrors that Gibbs wouldn't remember having. The night terrors consisted of tears, screaming, and violence and every one of Gibbs' agents could vividly remember every time they had to hold their usually strong and infallible boss through long and sleepless nights of emotional pain. If you mentioned them, it usually led to more anger on the part of Agent Gibbs and desk work for at least a week for whoever was unlucky enough to be around at that particular moment.

This time was different though. This time Gibbs looked visually relaxed. For the first time in his tenure on Gibbs' team, Tim wasn't afraid to fall asleep with Gibbs around, nevertheless in his arms. It wasn't long before Tim began to doze off, but before he slipped into slumber, he wrapped his arm protectively around Jethro, pulling the man as close as physically possible.

-GemcityRed-

"What do you think?" Leon was the first to speak as he and his partner entered their silent Georgetown flat.

The ride home for Ducky and Leon had been silent. They had turned off the radio and stared in their own respective directions – not a word had been said.

"What do you think about what?" Ducky said, his voice rasped with fatigue.

"About Gibbs." Leon sighed, "About tonight."

"I think that I'm glad Jethro has finally found someone to invest his emotions into."

"But?"

"But, I don't want Timothy to get hurt."

"Hurt?" Leon turned on the light in their bedroom and quickly disrobed into his briefs.

"Timothy is a strong man and agent. He loves courageously and is just about, if not more loyal, than Jethro," Ducky sighed, allowing Leon to slowly unbutton his shirt, "but I fear what will happen if Jethro resorts to his normal way of dealing with his pain."

"Anger and alcohol." Leon spoke, his words an educated statement rather than a question.

"Yes," Ducky removed his own pants and headed to his side of the bed, "and if Timothy is half the man he has always been, he'll let Jethro take his anger out on him."

"You're afraid that Gibbs' is gonna lose Tim just like he lost his other three exes. You're afraid Tim's going beat himself up when that happens – if it happens."

"I'm afraid that we'll lose two good agents _and friends_ just because one can't hold his life together and the other won't give up trying to hold it together for him."

The two lay down, sorting themselves out underneath the covers. The scene almost picture perfect to the one happening miles away with Tim and Jethro.

"I have seen Jethro with every wife and lover since Shannon, – Jennifer, Hollis, Dr. Ryan." Ducky said, his arms intertwined with Leon's, "I've seen Jethro break down like he did tonight in front of everyone of them."

"And?"

"And Timothy is the first I've seen actually take control of the situation and help the poor man!"

"Did you notice what he called him?" Leon seemed to change the subject, but Ducky caught where he was going.

"What Tim called Jethro?"

"Yes. Tim called him 'Love', and Gibbs' didn't seem to give a damn about it. Now tell me Mr. Psychological-Profiler, would the Agent Gibbs that walked into my office not a week ago have given a damn?"

"Most definitely."

"Then what changed?" Leon smiled when Ducky lifted his eyes to meet those of his partner, who was unsure of the answer.

"Of that, I have no idea."

"I think Gibbs has been different since Iraq, but he's been unwilling to show that to anyone but Dr. Taft."

"You still talk to him?"

"I don't, but I bet you can guess who still does."

"Timothy?" Ducky said with a look of astonishment.

"McGee still has lunch with him at least once a month."

"Why?!"

"When Gibbs was shot, he had both Tony and Tim listed as his ICE contacts, and when Tony had to go off grid to destroy The Calling, Tim was the one Cyril contacted."

"So Dr. Taft kept Tim informed of Gibbs health, both physical and mental."

"Not only that, but it was Tim who got _the call_." Ducky shuttered at the memory of Jethro's weakest moment, the moment when he had given up, and quickly put to the back of his head so he could continue listening to Leon, "It was Tim who offered to stay with Gibbs when he couldn't stand being in the hospital any longer."  
"And it was Timothy who had to hide all of it from his closest friends, and I assume it's what caused the Delilah fiasco."

"You'd be correct," Leon sighed, "and I can bet that Tim didn't even get a 'thank you'. I know for a fact that he didn't mention it, and as far as I know, Tony and Ellie don't know anything about it."

"You think Gibbs is trying to make it up to Timothy?"

"Maybe, but as I was going to say at first, Iraq changed Jethro, and there is a chance that he's trying to settle down – and the last few days with McGee must have lit a fire."

"Um hm." Ducky yawned, "I just hope he ends up happy."

Leon reached over and hit a switch causing the room to go dark.

"Me too, Donny, me too. I love you, good night."

"Love you too, Leon. Good night."


	14. Chapter 13

It was 5 AM exactly when Tim's eyes opened, and he didn't know if he was truly surprised by the fact that half of Jethro was peacefully sleeping on top of his body. At a painstakingly slow pace, Tim removed himself from underneath the older man's vice grip only to almost collapse again as his blood rushed to relieve the numbness in his limbs. After he was sure that the feeling had returned to his extremities, the agent took a second to evaluate he and his partner's work load for the day.

He grabbed a pen a jotted down a list of what was to be attempted today and the time he thought each would take.

· Paint closet – 2 hours

· Plumbing for shower - Jethro

· Change garage door code

· Rip up carpet in master bedroom – 1 hour

· Lay down flooring in bedroom – Jethro

· Start painting living room - ?

With a deep breath, a change of clothes, and a drink of water, Tim got to work, wanting to get as much done before Jethro woke up as possible.

An hour and a half later the music coming through his ear buds was interrupted by an incoming call from Tony.

"Hey, Tony." Tim whispered as he quietly walked out of the closet he was painting and slipped by the still sleeping Jethro.

"Hey Tim, how are you and the boss doing this lovely morning?" Tony sounded unusually chipper.

"Have you talked to Ducky?" Tim said flatly, not caring that he was cutting straight to the chase.

"Vance," Tony asked his tone instantly growing serious, "but I wanted to hear everything from you."

Tim went on to explain the events of the night before and the propensity Jethro had shown to him, excluding the fact about the shower, and being asked to sleep shirtless.

"Wow." Was all Tony could say when Tim had finished, "Well, if you think the boss would be ok with it, Vance gave Jim and I permission to bring you breakfast this morning. We stopped by Gibbs' diner and got coffee and pancakes for all of us."

"As long as you have syrup." Tim answered, knowing his partner's immense love of the substance.

"Got a new bottle from the store." Tony laughed, seeming to also be aware of just how much his boss loved syrup.

"Alright. When do you think you'll be here? I still have to wake him, and we know what hell that can be." Tim looked down at his watch to check the time, which was quickly approaching 0645.

"Zero-seven-fifteen. The traffic isn't that bad, and we headed to the diner from our place."

"Did Vance call you?!" Tim half yelled, realizing afterword how loud he had been and hoping he hadn't woken Jethro.

"As soon as he knew I would be up." Tony chuckled nervously.

"Alright," Tim sighed, "I think you know this, but don't bring anything up with the boss. He was supremely embarrassed last night."

"No, McObvious," Tony laughed sarcastically, "I thought I'd make it a point to bring up the boss's mental breakdown. It would lead to fascinating table talk now, wouldn't it?"

"I'll see you soon, Tony." Tim laughed, thankful for his friend's humor. Pressing end call, Tim headed back into the bedroom to wake Jethro.

"Wake up, Sleepyhead!" Tim threw a T-shirt and a pair of jeans at Jethro, barely dodging when Jethro shot a pillow back at high velocity.

"What time is it?" Jethro yawned as he sat up on the mattress.

" Almost zero-seven-hundred." Tim smirked, trying not to laugh at the sight in front of him. Jethro's hair was sticking up in several different directions, and the man needed a shave.

"What you smirking at?" Jethro scowled.

"You have fifteen minutes to get dressed and ready," Tim said, holding in his shock and laughter at the realization that his Jethro, his Marine, wasn't a morning person, "Tony and Jimmy are headed over with more pancakes and coffee."

"You're kidding." Jethro glared at Tim.

"Nope, they got the time off from Vance and invited themselves over by offering breakfast." Tim lied, not wanting to tell his partner Vance that had, in fact, basically insisted that Tony and Jimmy check up on the two undercover agents, and he really hoped that his boss didn't notice.

"Urggh." Jethro sighed as he hoisted himself from the mattress, his voice laced with sarcasm and feigned anger, "I thought once I got a door with a lock on it and moved out to God knows where people would stop walking in uninvited, instead they just invite themselves."

"I'll be downstairs." Tim informed as Jethro as the older man walked into the bathroom, as he struggled to remain straight faced. Once downstairs Tim let himself laugh until he was unable to breath and his sides hurt, only stopping to contain himself when he heard a knock at the front door.

"Morning, Tony, Jimmy." Tim said as he opened the door, still trying to control his giggles.

"Morning, McGemcity!" Tony beamed, offering up a drink holder full of coffee, each one with the name 'Jet' scribbled across the side.

"Thank you." Tim said gratefully.

"Those ones are for the boss." Tony said, as he walked in. Jimmy was not far behind him, food in one hand, a sleeping Victoria supported in another.

"I know." Tim said seriously, getting a laugh from Jimmy and Tony.

"They here, Tim?" Jethro trampled down the stairs, his eyes instantly finding the coffee. Tim offered him the drink carrier and wasn't surprised when Jethro took a full cup and downed it.

As soon as he finished with his coffee, Jethro turned his attention to the three younger men who seemed entranced with him.

"I like the shave, Jethro." Tim complimented as he examined the stubble that had replaced the man's almost full beard from half a week without a shave.

"Hoped ya would, Tim." Gibbs gave a full smile before basically ripping the bag from Jimmy's hands with a smirk and a giggle as he examined the contents.

The four made their way to the dining room where just hours before, Jethro had his breakdown. Sitting in the same places they had the night before, Tim gestured for Jimmy and Tony to sit across from them. Both men were still reeling from what they had just witnessed. _Had the boss just giggled?_ Yes, of course he laughed, but that hadn't been a laugh. It had been a full out teenage girl sounding giggle. They chalked it up to the man's emotional state before joining Tim, after Jim laid his daughter out on a few blankets Tony had brought in.

Tim and Jimmy quickly set out the paper plates, plastic silverware, and plastic solo cups, while Tony handed out the remaining coffee to Tim, Jimmy, and himself.

"You'll never guess who they assigned to the team, Boss." Tony said as he took the Styrofoam carry-out box that had been filled to capacity with warm pancakes.

"Who?" Gibbs grunted as he took a few pancakes and dropped them onto his plate.

"Susan Grady." Tony answered, watching as Tim almost spewed his coffee.

"Polygraph Susan Grady?" Tim said after he had composed himself.

"The one and only." Tony laughed at his teammate and the apparent lack of care his boss gave, "Apparently she did really well in San Diego and even got promoted to SFA, so she is going to come on and help us should something come up."

Tim nodded and Jethro grunted approvingly. The men went on in their meal, talking about cold cases as they had the night before, and constantly looking over to make sure 'Tori' was still sleeping. Though no one noticed, that underneath the table Tim's hand periodically met Jethro's in a comforting squeeze.

As the men finished and began to clean up their dishes, Tony's phone rang and he answered it, his face etching with concern as the caller spoke.

"That was Fornell. Someone dropped a body in Albany, New York."

"So? A body drop miles away is suddenly of interest to us?" Jim questioned before his lover could explain.

"If Fornell is calling," Tim started, "it means the body probably has something to do with an ongoing NCIS case."

"You'd be right, McGenius. The body was identified Christian Mave," he paused to watch Jimmy gasp, "a Society higher-up that many of us thought was a little – _off._ " Tony stopped to ensure that the child who was in the room was still sleeping before finishing his statement, "Apparently he was found mauled about a mile into White Mountain National Forest, but autopsy showed that he had been shot, execution style. The bullet had been removed, and his head had been smashed in."

"Wow." Tim and Jimmy said together, but Gibbs remained quiet, his face still blank and emotionless.

"We've got to get down to the Yard. Fornell is shipping the body to Ducky, and everything else is going to Abby." Tony got up, taking a pile of paper plates and disposing them into an almost full trash bag.

Tim sighed and ran his eyes down Jethro's body before speaking.

"I guess it's time to get things moving, huh?" Tim suggested, watching for any change in the elder man's face, but there was nothing that would hint to how the man was feeling.

"I think we'll go out to dinner tonight, Jim." Tony smiled as he spoke.

"Who knows," Tim said in a way that finally seemed to bring Jethro back from where he had wandered, "maybe Jet and I will run into you _accidentally._ "

"You know," Tony continued, "there is this amazing gay bar called Ceasar's. It's run by The Society up near Joint Base Andrews. They serve the most amazing steak, and word is that the CEO and his husband will be there tonight. It's expensive, but I think it's perfect for a nice night out for us both. We can leave Tori with Ducky or Abby. What do you think, Sweetheart?" Tony asked Jimmy who nodded with a smile as he listened to the implied conversation between the two agents.

The mention of steak had drawn the undivided attention of the grey-haired, functional mute, who still sat at the table, even though his counterparts had stood.

"I don't know." Tim turned to Jethro in mock uncertainty, "You feel like heading out tonight, Jet? Maybe make known that our little fling turned out to be more than a fling."

A smirk and a nod were all that Tim got in return, but it was enough to send Tim and Tony to their cellphones to make reservations.

Tony and Jimmy left with a smile and a very groggy but awake Victoria who had hugged her Uncle Timmy and Uncle Leroy before she all but demanded a pancake from the left overs Tony held in his hand. With their departure, Tim and Jethro quickly got to the tasks at hand, hopeful that they would at least be almost finished with the master bedroom before their dinner reservations at seven.


	15. Chapter 14

_**Author's Note: TRIGGER WARNING! MENTIONS OF SUICIDE AND SELF HARM. It's time to hear just what happened in the week's after Iraq. .. Feature's McGee's middle name which we learn Tuesday!**_

A few hours into Tim and Jethro's work a knock on the door broke the comfortable silence the working men had lapsed into.

"I got it." Tim yelled, knowing full and well Jethro's curiosity would get the best of him and the man would come from the master bedroom at any moment.

Checking through the peep-hole, Tim was greeted with the image of Abby, decked out in her spikes and chains, a parasol dancing in her hands.

"Hey, Abbs." Tim welcomed as he opened the door.

"Thom!" Abby squealed grabbing the man in a hug, her parasol whipping him in the back.

"Abs?" Jethro stomped unceremoniously down the stairs.

"Jet!" Abby moved to hug the older man, allowing a second for Tim to turn around and catch a sight of his shirtless partner, still glistening from the sweat of his exertion.

The sight made Tim subconsciously swallow, the feeling of his hardening cock catching him off guard. Silently, he watched the two friends in front of him, trying to control the feeling in his pants.

"You can call me by my real name, Abs." Gibbs accepted the aging woman's hug, "We only go by Thom and Jet in public."

"I just love your names, Boys!" She smiled as she released Gibbs and turned back to face Tim.

"What are you doing here, Abs?" Tim asked, trying not to sound annoyed at the fact that Abby was preventing him from taking full advantage of the shirtless man in front of him.

"Vance gave me the rest of the day off, and I saw something in the store yesterday. It just screamed 'Tim and Gibbs' so I had to get it." Abby reached around in her bag for a few moments before pulling out two wooden boxes and handing a box inscribed with a T to Tim and a box with an L over to Gibbs.

Gibbs open his box first revealing a sophisticated, black collar with a small latch. Engraved on the front of the collar was simply, 'Forever And Always'.

Tim opened his box next, revealing a thinner collar with a similar latch but nothing engraved on the collar.

"Kinda deciding for us, aren't you, Abs?" Tim said shyly, a blush growing across his face.

"I don't get it." Gibbs said plainly, waiting impatiently for an explanation.

"There Dom/Sub collars!" Abby said matter-of-factly, half expecting for her simple explanation to be satisfactory.

"Huh?" Gibbs looked to Tim, hoping for something more understandable.

"They're the symbol of our relationship. A thick collar means you're a submissive, and a thinner collar means you're a Dom." Tim watched something begin to click in Jethro's eyes, "It basically tells everyone else you're taken. You've seen Tony's and Jimmy's - They wear them all the time."

"Tony wears a thicker one than Palmer." Jethro stated as he began to understand, "That means Jim is in charge of him?"

"Technically." Tim smile sheepishly and awaited the blowup about the fact that Jethro had a thicker collar, "They don't really take into account the Dom/Sub relationship anywhere but the bedroom."

"So the thicker collar means I'm your sub." Jethro said, surprising both Abby and Tim by blushing slightly.

"Basically!" Abby chirped without missing a beat, "How has the renovations been going?" She forcefully changed the subject before anyone could object.

"I got the carpet ripped up in the bedroom, and I finally started laying down flooring." Gibbs laughed at Tim's surprised face, "It's only, what, noon? So if I can get the majority of the floors down today, you can plan on us only having to sleep in the other bedroom one night."

Tim laughed, shocked at how far Jethro had gotten in the few hours that had passed.

"How about you, Timmy?" Abby asked, surprised when Jethro the Dog appeared out of nowhere.

"You're standing in it." Tim gestured to the room around him. The smell of the pale blue paint still heavy in the air, "I'm not done yet, but It's getting there. Plus I changed the garage door code."

"Let me guess – Tony figured it out in three seconds flat." Gibbs asked with a knowing smile.

"I don't even think it took him that long." Tim laughed.

"I'm gonna go back to the floors." Gibbs informed, stomping up the stairs and leaving Abby and Tim.

"So-?" Abby picked an extra paint brush out of a bag of painting supplies and began to paint in the unreached corners.

"Vance told you?" Tim asked, knowing exactly what was coming.

"Ducky." Abby said, trying to hide the concern in her voice, "He took all of us into autopsy and told us in detail about last night and everything else when Bossman was sick."

"Did he explain anything about the nightmares?" Tim said from his corner where he was beginning to work on painting the moldings, "Because I'd love some insight."

"No, but he did tell us about Iraq. How dare you not tell us." Abby turned from her corner and sent an icy glare across the room, knowing Tim would understand what she was saying.

"I told Vance not to say anything." Tim tried to hide his anger, but failed to mask his myriad of emotions.

"Why didn't you tell us, Timmy?" Abby's anger dissipated into compassion, "I know that couldn't have been easy. We could have helped you."

"He asked me not to tell anyone, Abs." Tim explained, silently reliving the moments of that summer, "I had to tell Vance and Ducky probably got it out of Jethro's medical records, but no one else needed to know."

"Know what?" Abby whispered violently, trying to keep her voice down, "That the boss man slit his wrist. Tried to end it. I think we all needed to know that – Especially me!"

"No one, not even Ducky, Vance, or I needed to know that!" Tim almost screamed, instantly regretting that he had said his words loud enough for Jethro to hear, "Damn it! That was between Jethro and his demons! You think I wanted to spend a week watching my best friend almost die! I've loved him longer than I've known I was fucking bi. Damn, he was what made me think I was bi in the first place, and I'm the one who got the lucky job of watching him try again and again to kill himself. I'm the one who held the bandages on. I'm the one who help pressure to the cuts on his arm. I'm the one who held him while he cried and screamed he wanted to be with Kelly and Shannon! Me! Not you! Not Tony! Not Ducky! Me and Taft spent a week with a man who didn't want to live. We spent a week torturing ourselves just to make sure our friend lived, so when he said he didn't want anyone knowing why I mysteriously took a week off of work. When he told me he didn't want anyone knowing he had a week of raw emotion. I agreed. I agreed and I watched him like a hawk. I spent every night driving past his house. I watched him through windows. I treated him like a newborn for six months. I had to make sure he was breathing. I had to make sure he was eating. I kept silent stock of his refrigerator. When it came time for him to come back to work, I sat Vance down. I told him what happened. I told him why I passed up yet another fucking promotion to take care of Jethro. My Jethro. Without a thank you. Without any 'Good Job, Tim.' Or 'Thanks for keeping me alive, Tim.' So don't you dare ask me why I didn't tell you something that wasn't any of your business. Don't you dare Abigail Emma Scuito."

By the time Tim ended his rant, tears were pouring from his eyes and Abby's. Silently she made her way into his arms, letting the larger man wrap her up in his comfort.

"If I'd have known…" Abby tried to say through her tears.

"It wasn't for you to know, Abs." Tim whispered into her ear, "It's ok now. He's safe. I'm safe. We're all gonna be ok."

Abby lifted her head to Tim's ear, "I know it's way overdue, but 'Thank you.' Thank you for keeping Daddy safe."

Tim squeezed Abby tightly in his arms before letting their bodies separate.

"I know Jethro heard me." Tim sighed looking up at the stairs half expecting the older man to be standing at the second platform, "I need to check on him. Can you see yourself out?"

"You know it, Timmy!" Abby said, her usual peppiness returning to her voice.

"Thanks," Tim made his way up the stairs, stopping and turning to say one more thing, "And Abs?" The goth turned around to meet Tim's eyes. "You're Welcome."

Smiling back at him, Abby turned and finally left the house.

Tim went to turn around but quickly caught sight of his wooden box. Running down the stairs, Tim grabbed his box and then went back to climbing the stairs at a breakneck speed.

As he finally reached the final floor of the house, Tim walked slowly towards the eerie silence in the bedroom. Pushing the door open, Tim found Jethro sitting against the wall of the half-finished room, head in hands, staring blankly at the floor.

"Hey." Tim whispered, joining his partner on the floor.

"Hey." Jethro said inaudibly, letting his body lean into Tim.

Wrapping his arm around the still-shirtless man, Tim pulled his lover closer and placed a small kiss on his forehead.

"I'm sorry for yelling." Tim whispered into the older man's ear.

"Rule #6." Jethro said plainly, trying to hide the pain in his voice.

"Tim's Rule #2 – Apologies keep relationships together."

"Are we a relationship now?" Blue eyes looked up to meet green.

"If you want to be." Tim said with a smile, "Whatever you want, Jethro, but we're kinda stuck here through this op either way."

"You know I'm not gay." Jethro chuckled, "I've never had a crush on no guy. Until you the thought's never even crossed my mind."

"You know what?" Tim squeezed Jethro lightly, "That's exactly what I told Jimmy and what Tony told me."

Gibbs' eyes grew wide, "Are you saying-?"

"Maybe." Tim's eyes lit up at the amusement in Jethro's eyes.

"Tim?"

"Yah?"

"Will you put this on me?" Jethro lifted the thick leather necklace towards Tim.

"Only if you want me to." Tim said gently, taking the strap of leather from Jethro.

"I want you to." Jethro said shyly, a half smile blossoming on his face.

Unlatching the collar, Tim fit the perfect fitting strap around his lover's neck. Smiling when the latch clicked into place.

"Fit well?" Tim asked, knowing from the feel of the leather that this couldn't have been a cheap or off-the-shelf collar.

"Don't ask how Abby knows my neck size." Gibbs laughed, looking over to the brown box that was sitting by Tim's side.

Opening the box up and handing his collar to Jethro, Tim finally responded, "As long as you don't ask me the same." Tim chuckled.

"May I?" Jethro unlatched the thinner collar.

"Of course." Tim turned and let the man fasten the collar on his neck.

"Tim?" Gibbs asked once again.

"Yah?"

"Did I really never say 'Thank you.'?" Gibbs bite the edge of his lip, trying not to let the anger and tears escape onto the outside.

"Hey?" Tim turned Jethro's face to meet him, "You didn't need to, OK?"

"Yeah." Jethro's voice broke, a single tear dripping down his face, "Did you really do all that stuff without me noticing?"

"Yeah." Tim smiled, pushing his face into Jethro's personal space, "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I love you, Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"I love you too, Timothy Farragut McGee." Gibbs closed the space between the two, letting his lips meet Tim's in their first real kiss.


	16. Chapter 15

"You ready, dear!?" Jethro called up the stairs as he straightened the cuffs on his white dress shirt.

"Comin' Jethro!" Tim yelled as he came down the stairs in a navy blue suit.

"I guess this dating a guy thing could work out," Jethro smiled, "You definitely don't take as long as a woman to get ready."

"You should tell Abby that. She'll disagree." Tim laughed as he grabbed his keys off the banister and headed out the door with his partner.

"Do I really have to wear this thing like this?" Gibbs whined at his tight-fitting apparel.

"It's for the op, Love." Tim explained, "and trust me, it's not as bad as this thing."

Tim gestured down his navy blue suit which made him look much more fancy than Jethro who had paired his dress shirt with a pair of grey slacks that went perfectly with the collar around his neck.

"Ya got a point." Jethro agreed as he entered the passenger side of the Porsche.

The drive to Caesars was mostly silent besides from the occasional singing along to the classic country music that had been decided upon for the first part of their journey.

"We're almost there, Jeth." Tim informed after the near hour and a half drive in the weekday traffic.

"Alright, Tim." Jethro paused to think a moment before continuing, "This morning it sounded like you and Tony have been here before. Is that right?"

"Yeah," Tim answered, "I might not be a part of The Society, but I have friends all the way up into the corporate offices. I was a groomsmen at Rich and Marc Flannigan's wedding."

"That's why Tony took your place in interviewing them." Gibbs remembered.

"Exactly. They know Thom not Tim, so it would have been super dangerous going in there."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier!? I would have taken you off the case." Gibbs said protectively, "For your protection!"

"I did tell you, Jethro-" Tim reached over and took his partner's hand, "Twice." Giving the hand in his a small squeeze, Tim continued, "You were too focused on everything going on with the Henman's to think anything about it."

Jethro took his hand away from Tim's and scrubbed it down his face.

"I'm so sorry, Tim." Gibbs apologized, the blatant breaking of Rule 6 still shocking Tim, "I put you and the investigation at risk." Jethro sent his fist into his leg, his other hand pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Hey." Tim reached over and took Jethro's fist in his grasp, running his fingers soothingly over the man's tense knuckles, "No one blames you, Sweetheart."

"Doesn't make it right." Gibbs said, flustered.

"Don't worry about it, ok?" Tim moved his hand to Jethro's shoulder, "You just focus on the op tonight, and we'll talk about this later."

"I don't think anyone will recognized me." Jethro said, fidgeting with the pair of black, square glasses in his hands, glad to accept Tim's change of subject. In one motion, he placed the spectacles over his eyes which were made green with contacts.

"You look completely different, Jet." Tim affirmed, using the other man's undercover name, "Though I must admit I miss those Sapphire eyes."

"Why, thank you, Thom." Jet said eloquently as the two pulled into the crowded parking lot.

Richard Flannigan held his husband's hand as he parked their 2016 Hummer in their reserved spot.

"Let loose, Marc." Rich squeezed the man's hand, "We left her with your sister, so she's going to be fine without her daddies for a few hours."

"I know, Love," The red-headed Senator ran his fingers nervously through his hair, "but it doesn't make this any easier. We're two hours away! What if something happens?!"

"Nothing will happen, Marky," Rich unbuckled his seat-belt and went to turn towards his husband, but his attention was drawn away by a familiar figure passing in front of his car.

"Well look what the cat dragged in, Marc?" Colonel Flannigan said as he exited his car.

"Hey!" Thom Gemcity turned in excitement to his friends as Jet found his place comfortably behind his Dom, "Rich! Marc! It's been too long! How are you?! How is Nova?!"

"We're doing great, Thommy!" Rich reached out to shake the other man's hand, his Sub, Marc, mimicking Jet, "Nova is growing like a weed. She'll be a year in just a few weeks! And how about you? I see a handsome man behind you. Am I to assume that you finally found someone?"

"You'd be assuming right, Brother." Thom opened up to reveal Jet who was cautiously lurking, waiting for any direction or understanding he could get, and praying the men he had interviewed not a week wouldn't realize who he was, "This is Jet Fielding, my personal assistant, and my new collar."

"You collared him!" Rich smiled brightly, pulling out his phone, "Oh, I'm going to have to put this in the newsletter! Hold him close and smile for me!"

Thom took Jet around the waist and pulled him close, posing perfectly for the photo op. Jet leaned into his lover letting a 1000 watt smile grace his face as he melted into Thom's arms.

"I'm so happy for you, Thommy!" Marc said as soon as Rich had finished his photos, "How long have you two been together?"

"How long has it been, Jet?" Tim asked the green-eyed man.

"Uh," Jet took a second to think, very unaware of just how long was acceptable, "February 28th will be one month." The man said smoothly, using the first date that came to mind – The anniversary of his wife and daughter's death.

Tim felt a small pang in his chest as he heard his partner's words. Placing his hand on the small of Jet's back, the Tim inside Thom kept a mental note to bring up the subject later.


	17. Chapter 16

The two couple's entered Ceasar's together, but the moment they entered, Marc and Rich were taken off to meet with Society board members.

"Let's find seats, Jet." Thom said, keeping his partner close to his side as they navigated the stuffed restaurant/bar.

"How bout there, Love?" Jet asked timidly, pointing to a table where two men were already sitting, but two other chairs left room for the approaching couple.

"Good idea, Jet." Thom turned to lead the pairing to the table.

"Anyone sitting here?" Thom asked as he reached the table.

"Of course not, Thom! Long time no see." James Palmer reacted to his friend, "And I see you finally found a plus one."

"Yes." Tim beamed, "James, this is Jet Fielding, my collar."

"Hi, Jet." James reached his hand out to shake the other's hand, "As Thom said, I'm James and this is my collar, Anthony."

"Nice to meet you both." Jet accepted the handshake and nodded his head in greeting before taking the barstool between Thom and Anthony.

"Great to see you, Thom, Jet." Anthony said calmly, his personality much different from the Tony DiNozzo that was known and loved.

"So now that you have a collar-" James let a smirk blossom on his face.

"Rich is putting me in the newsletter." Thom glared at James and Anthony sarcastically, "so I guess if I didn't want to join I'm far out of luck."

"Good." James chuckled, "You hang around here enough anyway – You're practically a member already."

As James spoke, a waiter appeared beside the table and awaited Thom and Jet's order.

"Hey Max," Thom greeted, "Can I get a glass of your best Chardonnay for myself and a bourbon, neat, for my collar."

"Of course, Sir." Max smiled, "Anything for you Dr. Palmer?"

Jet took a deep breath to stop the shock that wanted to meet his face. He had forgot that James and Anthony weren't undercover. They were still Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo and Medical Examiner Dr. James Palmer of NCIS.

"I'll take a Chardonnay with Thom, and my collar will take a glass Pinot Noir, if you will."

"Of course. I'll return with those shortly." Max said before he strutted off to retrieve the drinks.

After Max had left, Anthony placed his hand on James' arm and received a small nod in return.

"So?" Anthony started, "Where did you two meet? That's if you don't mind me asking, Thom."

"He actually came from an agency." Thom explained, "He just got off yet another probation, so they wanted him to be live in with someone until they could trust him on his own."

"That's our Thom." James said pompously, "Always taking care of the world's strays."

"Well, I took him in, trained him to be my personal assistant, and we ended up, you know-."

"You fell in love?" James smiled.

"I think I did." Thom affirmed, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

With that, the drinks arrived, and the two Dom's fell into deep conversation. While Anthony, with permission from James, spoke with Jet about the aspects of being a sub in public.

Across the room, Marc and Rich sat at their table, but Marc, with permission from Rich, was deeply interested in the screen of his phone.

"Just what are you looking at?" Rich asked Marc.

"I'm looking up Thom's new friend," Marc informed, hiding his suspicion of who the man was from his partner, "and I don't like what I see."

"What do you mean?"

"He's on probation. Thom got him from an agency work-release program. He's been in jail a few times, has a dishonorable discharge from the Marines. He's had drug problems since the 80's. Not to mention, he is almost sixty."

"If Thom knows about it then I guess it true that love shows no boundaries."

"Yah, I guess." Marc agreed, secretly sending a text message to Layn to check out the man, wondering just who Thom Gemcity was to be talking with two known NCIS agents, and one who he swore was a slightly altered version of who he'd met as their leader the week before. But Marc took a breath, hoping he was wrong, and waited for a report from Layn.

Thom, Jet, James, and Anthony continued to talk across the room when a man approached the table.

"So I hear someone got a collar, huh, Thommy-boy?" The blond man smiled, as he put his arm around Thom in a side hug.

Across the table, Jet's gut was doing backflips as he tried to discover just what about the man in front of him was bothering him so much.

"Yes, I did, Layn." Tim smiled courteously at the man that seriously annoyed him, "What do you need, Brother?"

"I was thinking I could show your new guy around. With your permission, of course."

"Jet, what do you say?" Tim looked into his lover's eyes, the contacts not hiding the message that Team Gibbs had learned to read in their boss' eyes, "You have my permission to go with Layn if you like."

"Thank you, Sir." Jet said as he moved himself off the barstool, "I think I'll go. I need a cigarette anyway."

Putting his hand out to stop Jet, Tim reached over and pecked Jet's cheek before sending him on his way.

"So, you're with Thom, huh?" Layn said once they had moved out of earshot of the table.

"Yah, uh – he's – he's a good man."

"He is. We all love Thom around here. Told us he wouldn't join til he found himself a good collar, and I guess that's you."

"I guess it is."

"I hope you don't mind the intrusion, but my boss looked you up." Layn lit his cigarette on the veranda and lit Jet's cigarette as well, leaning back against the baluster.

"He did, did he?" Jet felt his stomach turn again, and fought to control the urge to arrest the man where he stood, evidence or no evidence.

"You've got a rocky past, Man. You're God knows how much older than him. You're not good for him. All you're gonna do is hurt him."

The man's word resonated with not just Jet, but Leroy, and in a flash, Layn was against the wall.

"I love him." Jet growled, "and I may not be perfect, but I love him, and I would do anything for him."

"Including fighting for his equality?" Layn questioned, a smirk across his face.

"Always." Gibbs returned the smirk, and realizing he'd responded correctly, he released Layn.

"Come up to New York this weekend, both of you. Marc and Rich would love to spend time with the happy, new couple."

"I'll have to ask Thom." Jet nodded.

" _Of course you will_ ," Layn held the door open, "You have _no_ control anymore."

With that, Jet returned to the table and Layn returned to Marc, eager to inform their counterparts of the happenings of the last five minutes.


End file.
